#I'll also try to upload more often

[maudfs]

I made a Sheezy.Art account! :D I'll start uploading there now, too. The customization is fun~ -> https://sheezy.art/maudfs

[penisbutterjellytime]

Can't wait till next week is over so I can show the progress I've made for my senior thesis

[black-dresses-band-fan]

A Guide to Black Dresses (Band)

Who are Black Dresses?

Black Dresses is a Canadian musical band, formed by two women, Ada Rook and Devi McCallion, who are both artists on their own.

The band was formed in 2017, following their first ever single - Paper Planes (cover of MIA). 

Devi and Ada started the Black Dresses project when they were friends, however they're currently in a relationship and implied to be married to each other.

They started the Black Dresses project, as a form of venting, and did not expect to blow up in the slightest. However, following the release of their debut album - WASTEISOLATION, they gained attention of the internet. With their unique sound palette, dark and vulnerable content of the lyrics, and general surrounding of enigmatic no-name artists, they started to quickly follow with underground cult following. 

Gaining much praise, getting a score of 9 out of 10 from Anthony Fantano, and especially, becoming viral over the song "IN MY MOUTH".

Unfortunely the band diss-banded after harassment that Devi received from the internet users after they found her online presence and internet footprint. Both Ada and Devi didn't really like the attention they gathered. So in 2020, they stopped making new material. But did in fact release old unreleased stuff all up to 2022.

In 2023 they announced working on their 7th album and making new music. Releasing more singles and uploading little snippets on them working. Confirming that way that they're a band once again.

The musical style

Black Dresses musical style is based on mixing a lot of genres. As an underground artists, Black Dresses are influenced by a lot of lesser known styles and genres coming from the outsider world of music. 

You cannot really explain their sound in simple words, but i'll try. Their genre is often described as "Noise Pop", but they're much more than that.

I'll try to describe their general sound, but i will go into more details following the guide's part about each individual album.

Most of all, Black Dresses are an electronic band, they do use real life instruments, mostly guitars and drums, but it's mostly electronical elements.

Black Dresses mixes elements of Pop, Industrial, Noise, EDM, Rock, and are mostly described as extremely experimental.

To lesser extent they also use hip-hop, ambience, metal, glitch, synth, and screamo.

Their vocals are rather amateur, which shouldn't really scare you, as it just adds to the charm. They're also notable for their usage of screaming vocals.

Themes of Black Dresses 

TRIGGER WARNING: CSA, Abuse.

The main themes of Black Dresses music are:

Mental suffering,

Living with mental ilness - such like depression or severe anxiety,

Coping with trauma - mostly from their childhood, and the sexual abuse they went trough from the hands of adults in their life.

Healing from those experiences, seeing hope in the future.

And environmentalism - raising awareness about the issues of global warming and pollution.

But there's ofcourse many more songs that don't follow these themes. 

Black Dresses often get accused of being "edgy", however you shouldn't perceive them like that. Their music is full of real struggles that both Devi and Ada are going trough. They do NOT romanticize or fetishize the themes of their music, nor they sugarcoat it or exaggerate it. 

Not to mention their music is full of hope for better tomorrow and wanting to improve, giving it all a positive message.

Release guide

2018 - WASTEISOLATION: Their debut album, definitely the darkest in terms of themes. Essential for every fan of the band, the best place to start. Mostly lighter in sound, doesn't incorporate as much noise as following releases.

Really accessible for newcommers.

2018 - HELL IS REAL EP: A 5 five song EP making a bridge between WASTEISOLATION and THANK YOU. It's a bit moodier than the previous project, but also it's a place where Black Dresses started to use more screaming vocals and noise elements.

2019 - THANK YOU: Second album, much more surreal in the sound palette, much noiser and more electronic. Black Dresses at this point got a little less personal in their lyricism.

2019 - DREAMS COME TRUE 2019: A sequel to their first ever project together, DREAMS COME TRUE 2017 which i'll mention later. It follows 3 WASTEISOLATION songs re-made and re-worked. As well as one brand new song.

2019 - LOVE AND AFFECTION FOR STUPID LITTLE BITCHES: Black Dresses (succesful) attempt at poppier sound. Much less crowded instrumentals and simpler, catchier beats. Doesn't belittle their noise elements and screaming ofcourse! 

2020 - Peacefull as Hell: Black Dresses most popular album after WASTEISOLATION, got an extremely positive review from Fantano and semi-blow up on the internet. A fan favourite.

Black Dresses production got more professional. 

The sound is much lighter and goes into the direction of electronic pop rock.

2021 - Forever in Your Heart: Black Dresses heaviest project to date. Ada and Devi at their most industrial and metal. A lot of screaming and noise. Another fan favourite.

2022 - Forget Your Own Face: Their latest album, as for the time of writing this guide. Their most disorganised project (which was intentional), full of distortions and noise and screams. It was a surprise release and is made from re-made unreleased material going as back as 2019. It contains some of fan favourite songs.

Other notable work:

2017 - DREAMS COME TRUE 2017: First ever released collaboration between Ada and Devi, a short 4 song EP.

2017 - LETHAL POISON FOR THE SYSTEM: A 3 song EP in collaboration with 99Jakes and Laura Les - a member of 100 GECS. Includes first single Under Black Dresses name.

2018 - CRUSH: Single, a cover of Tessa Violet.

2020 - 745 Sticky Remix: Black Dresses remix of 100 Gecs song that ended up on the official 100 Gecs remix album.

2023 - Shines: Single, a collaboration between the band Purity Ring and Black Dresses.

Merch and how to support them

Black Dresses ocassionally releases their albums on cassettes, however they were all limited and are currently unavaible. No official CDs or Vinyls were ever made.

You can buy at any time Black Dresses hoodies or T-shirts on https://black-dresses-merch-store.creator-spring.com/

(Ada also sells her merch on that)

You can buy their albums over Black Dresses bandcamp, or support them directly trough Patreon.

You can also contact Devi or Black Dresses trough an e-mail and show your support with words!

black.squares.media@gmail.com

blackdresses666@gmail.com

 (Please do not send this e-mail to anybody who could harass them) 

That's all, i hope you'll have a wonderful time listening to our gals! :DD

Black Dresses Extended Universe Guide

What's that? You're interested in checking out Ada's and Devi's solo stuff? Well, it might be much more confusing or interesting than you think, in fact, it's a whole rabbit hole. So let me introduce you to, what i like to call, the "Black Dresses Extended Universe" (BDEU or simply BDU). 

BDU is a collective of every side-project, nickname under which one of the girls released music, or any other band that contains either Ada or Devi.

Ada Rook's side of EU

Let's start with Ada Rook, since there's a little bit less going around her.

Ada started releasing her music in 2015, following her first OST for her game (as she's a game dev), and her first EP in 2016 "void memory".

Ada used the nickname "rooksfeather" or simply "rook", however after the release of "Parasite" she started using her full name.

Ada's solo discography follows 8 EPs, 4 Soundtracks, and 6 albums. 7th one on the way 

Her musical style is similar to Black Dresses, but more into industrial and rock side of things. Her older music used much more ambience and was darker, moodier. Her recent style incorporates much more screaming and poppier sound. However, in case similar to Black Dresses, each album have it own distinct sound. 

She also released one album with an artist called Deathirl, "DEATH IN REAL LIFE" and it's extremely rare media, not even listed on RYM. However reuploads of it exists.

She have one Alter-ego, called "Crisis Sigil" Under which she's doing extreme grindcore. Crisis Sigil released 2 EPs and 1 Album.

Ada is also a part of 2 other bands beside of Black Dresses,

"rook&nomie" is a collaboration between Ada and ESPer99, they released 2 albums. Their style is much more poppier than anything else that Ada does.

"Angel Electronics" is a fresh new band formed by Ada and Ash Nerve. They're doing power electronic rock, and their sound is more joyful. They released 1 album so far.

Notable Ada Rook releases:

"Shed Blood" by Rook

"Parasite" by Rook,

"2,020 Knives" by Rook,

"UGLY DEATH" by Rook,

"Rookie's Bustle EP" by Rook,

"GOD CUM POLTERGEIST" by Crisis Sigil,

"ULTRA PARADISE" by Angel Electronics,

"Superego Royal Jelly" by rook&nomie

Devi McCallion's side of EU

Wow, we are in for a heck of a ride... Oh well,

Devi started releasing her music since the age of 15, however most of it is probably lost media at this point. She's putting music out on her own label - Blacksquares, Under many different alliases and side projects, i'll talk about each one later.

Devi's style is mostly indie pop, influenced by sub-genres like dream pop, synthpop, ElectroPop and simply underground pop.

Her music is often simplistic and cartoony, but it's hard to explain her signature style in words. 

But it's worth checking out.

Devi rarely releases anything Under her real life name, mostly singles. But she did release 2 albums Under her real name together with Katie Dey, mixing production of both girls. 

Devi used many different nicknames trough her career, such like Dizzy Girl, Devi April McCallion, Vriska Serket, Walking Patriarchy and The Little Fears, however all of these names aren't connected to any specific releases, as far as im aware (Devi's music is a huge Rabbit Hole, full of lost media and rare material).

It's also worth mentioning that she released a compilation of her unreleased material Under the name "Blacksquares", it's titled "LIFE IS HELL (ASMR)".

Okay, so now we are going to talk about each one of her musical projects. We'll start with 4 of the most essential ones, then the more obscure ones, and we'll finish it all with Devi's other bands beside Black Dresses.

1. EAT BABIES? - A name she really doesn't like to be assiocated with, so it's better to treat this project as a fun fact, rather than the core of her career. EAT BABIES? was her first ever project (that we are awere of) Under which she released 2 albums and 2 EPs. It was much more amateur than what she's used to do now. And she doesn't like to associate this project with herself due of the fact she was much different person back then. 

2. Mom - is her second most popular nickname. It was her primary stage name for a long time untill 2015 when she came out with "Girl Rituals".

Mom released 5 albums. And semi-blow up with a song titled "joyfulthought". Mom is a time when Devi really started to work on her pop sound and signature style. 

3. Cats Millionaire - the third most popular Devi project. Cats Millionaire was active from 2011 to 2013. Released 2 albums, 4 EPs and 2 mixtapes. 

Cats Millionaire is characteristic for overall theme of My Little Pony, since Devi used to be a brony. The lyrics and aesthetic are all about MLP. The sound was much more soothing and toned-down than most of Devi's releases.

4. Girls Rituals - Devi's current main allias and her most important project that's still active from 2015 to this day. Under that name Devi released most of her music, and she really perfected and evolved her pop sound with each and every release. Beside of many singles, she released 2 EPs (one with Ada, one with 4lung, however the second one is since deleted because of the 4lung allegations), 1 remix album, 1 instrumental album, and 5 albums. With "Reddishness" being Girls Rituals fan favourite release.

Now, Let's get over every other side project.

10 Chains - only one instrumental album have been released. It's noise/ambience.

Doro Doro Dono/More Bears- Just one single released each for two of these projects,

traptraptrap - 2009. one album released. Despite the name, it's her usual pop stuff.

Triangle Giant - named after one of Devi's bands, only one EP released. ElectroPop.

Yellow Bile - 3 EPs released. Usual pop stuff. One of the EPs are lost media.

Tiny Magnesium - Really obscure stage name for her usual pop sound. 2 short albums released.

Leader Misty - Pokemon themed 2008 project, one instrumental album.

Holographic Rainbow - Only the soundtrack to the discontinued web comic (of the same name) have been released.

Hexi Wing - name she used to release her self-spoken erotic fan-fiction. You're probably not interested in that 👀.

Now, last but not least, Devi's multiple bands before and after Black Dresses.

Dr. Massive and The Headwound Extravaganza - was a 2008 electronic band that released mostly covers of rock songs. Only one album have been released and the band is 100% discontinued right now. Devi was responsible for programming, drums and vocals. There also were

Mike Will Smith - percussion and vocals,

Allan Burke - synthesizer and vocals, 

Jonathan Oscar Cianni - programming, bass,

And Sensitive Bear - bass and vocals.

Unfortunely i couldn't find any info about the band members.

Giant Triangle - A band where Devi used to do vocals from 2008 to 2016, the band had a lot of members that went and go, but it seems their only official release is an 2020 EP. Usual electronic and pop.

The Various Endeavors? - a 2009 band who's appearently still active? They released one synth punk album, and a compilation of unreleased tracks in 2021. John Bevier and Tyler Bruce are in the band along-side Devi.

VCF Freq - A collaboration between Devi and Boy Pussy, they're doing minimal techno. They're Technically still active but their only 2020 EP dissapeared from any streamings. It's thankfully archived on Soulseek.

Anarchy 99 - A collaboration between Devi and So Drove, they're doing electronic pop rock. They're still active from 2020 and actually release new material consistantly. A couple of singles have been released and one album.

Notable Devi  McCallion releases:

'Self-titled" by Mom,

"3" by Mom,

"Fun Fun Fun" by Cats Millionaire,

"Reddishness" by Girls Rituals,

"Im Desperate" by Girls Rituals,

"CRAP SHIT" by Girls Rituals,

"Cow" by Girls Rituals,

"Rockstar Super Heat" by Anarchy 99,

And that's all there is to BDU ;)) have fun Discovering it! ❤️

[kirby-manga-translated]

It’s Kirby Time - Book 9 English Translation + An Update on Blog Happenings

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! IT'S HEEEEERE!! A truly adorable story about Kirby and Meta Knight deciding to spend some alone time and the activities they like to do during that time. Featuring beautiful illustrations painstakingly cleaned up by myself, this one is a must-read for fans of the relationship between Kirby and Meta Knight. Read the full thing at the links below:

Imgur

MangaDex

Google Drive

...But wait, there's more! Because the illustrations are so pretty, here's a link to a folder containing just those illustrations with no text at all! https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19z8WLah-ZGES2jnyZOILJKc9kE75Wvs9?usp=drive_link (I'm probably also gonna make a post featuring all these images on their own soon.)

Finally, I have an update regarding the blog. tl;dr, I'm definitely gonna keep doing translations, but the rate at which they are completed and uploaded is most likely going to change soon. I don't know by how much or even if it will be positive or negative. For a more detailed explanation, click the Keep Reading.

So, I got a job! *audience cheers* But the job does not involve translating Kirby manga. *audience "aww"s* Ordinarily I wouldn't get more specific than that since I try to avoid revealing too much about my personal life, but in this case the explanation won't make much sense unless I do, so: The job entails working on fishing boats. This means that there isn't really a set daily schedule or even a weekly schedule. When the boats are fishing, I'm working, and when they're not, I have next to nothing to do.

I've been told by many people that I should expect a lot of down time for that reason, so I'll definitely have time to work on translations. However, I can't predict exactly how much I get and I also most likely won't have an internet connection on the boat. All this is to say that I literally do not know how this is going to affect the rate of translations on this blog beyond just, "It's going to change." I could find that I have so much down time on the boat that translating is the only thing that keeps me sane and I actually get more done. I could find that the boat I'm on is a super-busy one and I get barely any time at all. And regardless of which one of those happens, I won't be able to actually upload anything until the boat gets back into port, which is entirely dependent on how long it takes for the boat to catch all the fish it needs.

The job doesn't start for a couple weeks yet, so I'm gonna try to fulfill a few more requested chapters before then. Once again: I'm definitely going to keep translating, I just don't know how often I'll actually be able to do it. So enjoy this translation, look forward to more coming in the future, and please wish me luck both in my work and in getting time to translate!

[little-acts-of-gratitude]

Hello, Tumblr! I am incredibly excited to announce the start of my biggest project so far: Little Acts of Gratitude! It's a post-WW AU fancomic that follows a Ganondorf redemption-ish story set on the Great Sea, in which Link decides to defy fate right before the final duel and bring his sworn enemy back to the surface. But why? The comic explores the Triforce Trio and the world around them, in an attempt to solve the ancient mysteries and tie the loose ends. Suffice it to say, I have big, big plans for this story >:^з.

If you have access to desktop Tumblr, I recommend reading the comic that way, as you’ll be able to see a fancy blog theme with a comfy pagination and a banner for each chapter! But if not, there'll also be a dedicated pagination system for mobile users, like this:

(Page 0) next > last ▷

And now, FAQ/Disclaimer/whatever:

There’s no upload schedule planned as of now. I’ll try my best to aim for monthly updates and have at least a little backlog whenever possible, but more often than not I’ll probably upload the pages as soon as I am done with them. Also I’ll make sure to announce any major hiatuses if for some reason updates will take more time than planned. Just please don’t send any asks/DMs regarding this matter.

As a non-native English speaker, I’d greatly appreciate it if you guys pointed out any grammar mistakes I might make! This goes double for the instances of me using ASL for Link, as I don’t have any kind of experience with sign languages.

You may see the artifacts on the pages - this is the result of me Glazing them, just to see how that pans out. I'll... probably think of an option to show you guys the clean hi-res pages eventually.

For now, the comic will stay a Tumblr exclusive — but I am thinking of potentially crossposting it on other webcomic-hosting platforms! Once I amass a decent amount of pages and decide where exactly to upload them, I will provide links. As for the social media presence, I... don't really have anything other than Tumblr (except, well, iykyk), so no promises there.

And for, uh, legal purposes: the Legend of Zelda series belongs to Nintendo; I am not affiliated with them and do not claim ownership on anything other than the artwork itself. Not that they're currently going for fancomics, thankfully.

And... Thanks for taking time to read this! My lack of work ethics is my lifelong nemesis, but I hope that, despite everything, this comic will see the light of day, that I won’t stop working on it until I’m done, and that you will have a great time reading my silly little AU for a silly little vidyagame ✨!

[thebroccolination]

KRIST, FAME, AND WHY "YOU SIGNED UP FOR THIS" DOESN'T EXONERATE THE BEHAVIOR OF THE PUBLIC

Lindsay Ellis uploaded this video to YouTube framed around the myth that Yoko Ono broke up the Beatles. It's phenomenal, as her work often is. I'll probably watch the whole thing multiple times in the near future.

Toward the end of the video, Lindsay expands on the morbid paradox of fame. Many of us see it as this aspirational thing that famous people should be grateful to have, and yet we're also aware that the circumstances of being famous often lead to tragic ends for celebrities, either by violence or by their own self-destruction.

Over the past week, I made this thread to explain the events that led to Krist putting his foot down after months of trying to placate the segment of KristSingto fans who are vocally opposed to Krist sharing any part of his continued close friendship with Gawin, Krist's costar from his 2023 BL series "Be My Favorite."

The day he started his break from social media, Krist addressed his fans about what he'd been dealing with very clearly and characteristically sincerely. He expressed his confusion, explained the impossible situation this unreasonable portion of his fanbase had put him in, and ultimately just gave the vibe of a very tired teacher. Coupled with the reality that Krist's fanbase is on average much older than he is, it's a little absurd that a twenty-eight-year-old had to tell a fair number of middle-aged, tax-paying adults that he's allowed to have friends.

Krist concluded his TikTok Live only to be tagged in even more abuse and complaints on Twitter. I saw some of it and didn't bother saving receipts, but you can imagine it. You're hurting your comeback with Singto by posting Gawin's photos, Krist. This comeback isn't going well, Krist, and it's your fault. You're supposed to be loyal to Singto, Krist. You abandoned Singto at the outing, Krist. If you hate it here so much then just go back to Gawin, then. Don't you feel guilty for ruining Gawin's career, too? He must be good in bed for you to come to his defense like this.

Oh, wait, I did save that one.

Presumably sensing that he had done everything he possibly could, Krist addressed fans one last time on his Instagram Broadcast channel.

Let no one misinterpret this: Krist left social media mainly and specifically because some Peraya were viscerally outraged that Krist didn't cast Gawin aside and spend 100% of his time adhered to Singto. Even though Krist is the one who wanted the comeback, a significant number of Peraya seem to think he's not trying hard enough.

"Not trying hard enough" even though he was so obsessed with getting Peraya Party right that he made himself sick.

This tweet was when he admitted himself for an IV to keep himself healthy, and then he ended up getting admitted anyway for almost a week. During which time he continued working on the concert from his iPad, messaging staff and Singto who continued with rehearsals.

"Not trying hard enough" isn't something Krist knows how to do. He's a self-professed perfectionist who identified so strongly with the character of Anxiety in "Inside Out 2" that he posted about her on his Facebook seven different times. He has an Anxiety plush. He even tweeted about the anxiety attack scene when he visited Beijing for work.

Krist has spoken about his experiences with depression. He moved back home in 2022 to be with his parents at the suggestion of his psychiatrist, the fourth he'd seen.

It's widely known that Krist hates being alone. Singto recently said it's something that concerns him, that Krist has someone or other at his house most of the time because he doesn't want to be on his own. Just last year Krist said his favorite thing about his four cats is that they're with him always, whereas people eventually have to go their own homes.

Rather than close himself off, however, Krist has remained a phenomenally open and affectionate person. He treats his fans like friends. (The ones who aren't trying to control his life.) He took the time to address fans twice in text and in video.

And yet, as soon as Krist stepped away from the helm of his own narrative, some fans were horrified by the idea that Krist might be mad at them. Others began to twist his words and intentions to suit a more palatable narrative. This wasn't about Gawin, no. He did it for Singto.

And while, yes, Krist did also make it clear that he won't tolerate people trash-talking one of his favorite people, this was about Krist.

It wasn't only about Singto or Gawin. This was Krist facing down fans who have relentlessly demanded more than he could have or even should have ever reasonably done for them.

It's a special kind of horrifying to me that fans are misrepresenting Krist when Krist clearly said as recently as last October that what hurts him most is being misrepresented.

I spoke with some Peraya in DMs about this whole mess.

A few said they have no issue with Gawin, they're only envious of the closeness he has with Krist. They're both musicians and singers, and they're both people-shaped emotions who went through hell together during all the "lol who asked for this pairing" and "ew I'm not watching the homophobe show" nonsense.

Others said Krist is behaving childishly and that he should just ignore everyone.

After all, all of this comes with the territory of being famous. It's normal. He shouldn't overreact. He's taken the wife role. He should be cute and soft and sweet at all times.

When I posted my thread about this, some were underwhelmed by the informational tone and had hoped it would be more of a call-out. Thing is, I'd already criticized that portion of the Peraya fandom:

It's frankly beyond my comprehension how Krist has made it this far as stable and as kind as he is. He was bashed by homophobes for starring in SOTUS in 2016, then stalked at his university by fans who disapproved of him having a girlfriend since he belonged to Singto, harassed about his sexuality until he snapped, vilified by international fans who showed up late to the party in 2020 and made everything a thousand times worse by not bothering to fact-check anything they were seeing, tormented off social media, put through four different psychiatrists, lost the partner he'd been through all of this with, found a new one, lost him, and gained his original partner back only for fans to demand more from him.

And the thing is, I don't want to say all of this on Twitter because it's becoming more and more of a noxious hellscape with every passing day, and the people who need to embrace this aren't going to read it. But I did want to say it somewhere.

Watching Lindsay's video, I felt such a bolt of fear. He's just been pushed so far, and fame isn't what destroys: it's people.

So I'm so proud of him for handling this with composure and strength. I'm proud of him for keeping the promise he made to Gawin in October last year at his solo concert, that nothing would change between them.

One of my Gawin fan friends said it best: Krist was the first person to see Gawin's potential and then show the world. He featured Gawin in his own solo concert, he mentored him through promotion, he opened up to Gawin about his life and his thoughts. He would never cast Gawin aside, and the fact that people are still trying to hand-wave how important Gawin is to him is maddening.

He loves Singto. He also loves Gawin. One doesn't cheapen the other. He loves a lot of people. That's who Krist is.

The idea that Krist should be cute and demure and ignore constant harassment he can't avoid because he needs to use social media for work is so unimaginably cruel I can't fathom how it could even transform from an idea to a real belief. Whether you like it or not, he's standing up for himself now.

Being famous eases some things and barbs others. You'll get free stuff and fans who admire you, but you may also get a deterioration of your mental health and fans who feel entitled to your body, soul, and mind.

You tell 'em, sweetie.

[wedgiestoriescollective]

The Senior: A Night in a Hotel Room

(The last Re-Upload)

Chase and I continued our interesting relationship after the events that took place after the choir concert. But the holidays are always a busy time, even during school. I had projects to complete and so did Chase, our daily routine of me giving Chase’s underwear a pull died down for a bit. I did get him a couple times. One time during a break at our choir practice, I yanked his American Eagle trunks up his butt when we were alone in the church's library. Oh man, that was so hot. His jeans were so tight that day, and he was wearing a maroon sweater.

He looked like the preppy guys I'd always jack off to that I wish I could wedgie, and here I was. wedgieing him. What made it even better was that he liked it, and I knew it.

               Before the holiday break I got to wedgie him one more time. Chase had recently joined the speech team, and I was also on the team. I’d like to believe that he joined the team so that he would have more reasons to spend more time with me, but it probably was one of many reasons. He did a great job in the musical and participating in speech is like participating in judged theatre. So, the cast members and teammates encouraged him to join, so he did. As a member of the team, we were required to work the tournament that our school would host. But Chase was also very good at playing the trumpet so during the day of the tournament he wasn’t available because he earned a spot in the All-Region Band. So, he stopped by near the end of the day and his job for the day was to deliver flowers that we were going to put on the table with the trophies for the awards ceremony. He texted me to help him bring them in. I met him at the loading dock as he was pulling in. Now, the wedgie that I gave him as he was getting out of his front seat was a unique one. He got out and I somehow managed to just grab the waistband without digging for it. His Blue and Red stripped American Eagle boxer briefs went right up his ass. I tugged his leg holes past his dress pants waistband, and as the tug reached its height I said “sup”, and immediately snapped his white waistband to his back.

               “Come on” he said, surprisingly annoyed with his wedgie.

               “What did you expect? You asked me to help” I said.

               “With the flowers?” he asked as he was walking to the trunk of his car while simultaneously picking at his underwear. At this point I'd wedgied him so often that he no longer would go out of sight to adjust himself anymore. He would just pick outright in front of me. I found that hot. It was unexpecting how hot I found that to be.

“Well, sorry I'll hold off on the wedgies, I got those”. I lifted a box of flowers and walked with him into the auditorium. We were alone as we were arranging the flowers, but since the stage was so big and the curtains were down, we had no way of knowing if anyone else was there. So, it wasn't the best time to try to give Chase another wedgie. We continued working quietly getting everything all set up.

               I didn’t see Chase until after the holiday break. We texted each other though, he was very good at keeping the text conversation going. It wasn’t all about wedgies. We discussed books and movies that we were both currently reading or watching. Our families. He was very present to listen to my problems. At the time my high school theatre department were prepping auditions for that years play competition. This was the closet that theatre departments in high school got to competing with one another like sports teams do. The point of the competition was to take a play, any play and cut it down to no longer than 50 minutes. My theatre teacher took this play very seriously, taking a lot of time for us to read the play in class, analyze it and audition for roles. There were 16 people in the class and only 7 roles. There was a specific role in the play that I thought I'd be right for. The role required for the actor to be able to play a young prince who may or may not have had an affair with a prince from another country. The point of the role was that you never knew for sure if the characters were gay or not. I was obsessed with the idea of possibly getting the chance to play this role, I memorized scenes, I actively participated in discussions about the play in class. I made it obvious to my theater teacher that I really wanted the role. Being in the cast for this specific play in the theatre department basically marked you as someone who is a top actor in the school.  I knew I was good, but there were a lot of other guys in the department that were older and talented too. But the other kid that was my age in the theatre class Micah, was in the competition play last year and he had the experience and could very well be cast in this role. It shouldn't have bothered me as much as it did, but Micah was the top of our class, and he participated in theatre because it was something that he could put on his college apps. His family were very devoted Christians which isn’t a problem except for the fact that he would argue that the role I wanted wasn't a homosexual. He would argue this because he knew that if he was cast in the show that it would be in that role and he clearly felt that it was against his religion, so he was trying to find a reason to be able to play it.  I’d say I was straight, but I knew that I wasn’t. But this role spoke to me, especially at that time and if I got it, maybe it was the reason that I needed to give myself permission to accept myself. I really wanted that part.

               The weekend that the cast list was supposed to be posted, my speech team was away at a speech tournament six hours away from home. The prelim rounds went okay on that first day and Chase and I were placed in the same hotel room for the night with twin brothers that were specifically on the debate team. So, that night after the speech kids were done with their rounds, the debate kids were going to remain there till late. The hotel room had two beds and since the twin brother debaters would obviously sleep together in one of them, I was going to sleep with Chase in the other. And not only that, I was going to get to spend a lot of time alone with Chase in a room with a bed

               When Chase and I got back to the hotel room, I went ahead and took a shower. We had a long day of traveling and both Chase and I had been in suits all day. I brought my sweats and tank that I would sleep in the bathroom with me and showered. When I got out of the bathroom with my sleep clothes on there was Chase, standing at the closet in only his boxers. He was hanging up his suit, after taking everything off. Though I've wedgied Chase a lot, I had never seen him without his shirt, and staring at him from behind I immediately noticed the smoothness of his shoulders. Chase wasn't muscular in the sense that he looked like a Calvin Klein model, but he was close. His butt in those boxers were very nice as well. The boxers were navy blue, obviously American Eagle because there were multiple Eagle logos al over them. He turned around,

               “Hey, my turn’ he said.

               I must have not been hiding my looks of intense lustful admiration because his lips slowly curved to a smirk, and he flexed his chest and hell.  He didn’t have a six pack, but his chest was hot, nonetheless. He didn’t have a lot of hair, but there was some that formed a line from the bottom of his belly button to the top the waistband of his boxers. This was the first time that my thoughts went to the possible size of his dick under those boxers. I can't remember for sure, but I was probably hard. Chase started to walk across the room.

               “I know what you're thinking, don't do it” he said as he walked by me to go into the bathroom. I quickly turned around after he walked by me. He stopped walking and turned his head slightly.

               "You can’t help it can you?” he said.

               “I guess not” I replied as my hands slowly gripped his boxers.

               I tug slowly. This was my first time giving a wedgie with the other guy not wearing pants. The more I tug the more I see Chase's ass. It was firm and the more his boxers went up his butt, the harder my dick got. I drop his boxers and gently tap both of his checks with my hands.

               “Enjoy your shower" I said.

               “Thanks” he said walking into the bathroom.

               He stayed in there for about ten minutes. When he came out of the bathroom, he had pajama bottoms with multiple XBOX logos on it. He was still wearing the same boxers that I had just wedgied, but the only way I could tell was that he was sagging his pajama bottoms slightly. But I only had a moment to observe that because he ran at me and jumped on me on the bed.

               It happened very fast. I can’t remember the specifics. But we were basically wrestling, He was the senior and he was obviously a lot stronger than me, but I gave it my all wrestling wise. He pinned me in headlocks and to the ground. He was a lot stronger. But Chase and I had different end goals. His was to pin me to the ground, mine was to pull his boxers up his butt again. I got his boxers a couple of times in the struggle, but not enough to really count the wedgies I gave him legit. But there was one moment when I ended up on the top of his back. My ass was sitting on his head, and I had to have been tea-bagging Chase as I gripped his boxers in both of my hands. I was also fully hard by that point, and there was no way that Chase didn’t know because my bulge was bulging into his shoulders. But his boxers were in my hand, and I started pulling. Pulling with all the strength possible. Chase was moaning but from pleasure or pain I couldn't tell. I successfully pull one mare strong pull and I heard a slight ripping sound. I snap his boxer’s waistband onto Chase’s back, and I roll off him.

               “Fuck, man that was the best wedgie yet” Chase said standing up with his hands in his,

butt fixing his boxers. I stayed laying on the bed breathing heavily.

               “Damn man, you sound like we just fucked” he laughed.

               I laughed that off, at at that moment a feeling of intense shame came over me. I hadn’t cum but I was close. What did those feelings mean? Why do wedgies turn me on? How can I keep this up? It was clear after today that I had extreme lust towards Chase. After seeing his body, smacking his ass, and wedgieing him like I just had.

               “Everything alright man?” Chase asked as he sat down at the front of the bed. But before I could say anything there was a knock on the door.

               I went and answered the door, and it was Lexi. She was one of the strongest actresses in the theatre department. A shoo in for the lead role in the competition play. She was texted the cast list for the competition play and wanted me to see it. I didn’t get the part… or any part in the play. Micah got the part. Lexi said that she wanted me to know because she didn’t want me to have to wait until Monday to see the cast list myself, but I think she wanted to tell me because she was (and still is) a world class bitch. I walked back into the room and crushed, I just started crying, I had never been more disappointed. I didn’t get the role that spoke to me and my true sexuality, and here I was crying in front of the only guy that I had ever had strong feelings for. Chase was very nice. He asked me what was wrong, and when I told him he didn't try to console me. He was just quiet as I laid down on the bed,

               I must have cried myself to sleep because one moment the lights were on, and the next they were off and there was an arm around my shoulder. It was Chase's. I looked over at the other bed and saw that it was still empty. The twins weren’t back yet. I twisted my body around and there was Chase, with his eyes wide open staring at me. He said nothing and we continued just looking at one another. I wanted to kiss him, and I was positive that he wanted to kiss me. But we didn’t kiss. But what I did feel was a hand gently placing itself around my groin. Chase's hand was over my sweatpants, and he slowly put his hand into my sweats and then, into my boxer briefs. Upon impulse I reached in a removed his hand from my pants. But still staring at him. I let go of his hand. I then proceeded to stick my own, hand in my pants. I gently surrounded my dick with my fingers, and then slowly started lifting. and lowering my dick. I did this while continuing to stare at Chase. Chase decided after a couple moments that he would follow suit. He lifted the covers and stuck his hand in his boxers. We continued touching ourselves while still looking at one another. This was a new experience for me, jerking off with someone else in the room. I found it to be a very exhilarating experience. Someone else looking at me and jerking off too. I couldn't see his dick, and he couldn't see mine. That seemed to make it even hotter. We tried to keep rhythm with each other. I don’t know how long we did this, but I do remember that we didn’t climax at the same time. Chase came first, and I followed about ten seconds after. There were no words spoken during or after except for our moans. After we were done, we put the covers back on and just laid back down in bed together. I started crying again, but it was weird. There was so much sadness in my tears, but also a little comfort in the fact that in that singular moment that I was not alone. I cried gently but was surprised to feel Chase's arms wrap around my body, holding me tightly. We laid there spooned into each other. He was there holding me tightly not letting me go as slowly drifted off to sleep.

I think back to this night often. We were both in the closet at the time, and we were both not ready to admit to ourselves that we had these strong feelings. We just had this strong night together. if we were able to let ourselves be open to each other that night, maybe we would have gone farther in our sexual explorations. I did wish I kissed him that night. I wished that I let him touch me, blow me. I wish I could have seen his whole naked body, and that he could see mine. That night was more than just a wedgie fetish. But regardless, I am still grateful to what we did that night because it was a part of my story, and it was truly one of those moments when I realized that I could be attractive, that I could be desired, and that I won't always have to be alone.

[laxmiree]

[CN] MLQC’s Lucien - Entangling Date - English Translation

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!! ⚠️

This post contains a detailed spoiler for a date that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

[Warning]: The content of this date is currently the most explicit compared to other SSR dates and may not be suitable for individuals under the age of 17 (CN server). It is recommended that those who do not meet this age requirement refrain from proceeding beyond this point.

// ⚠️ cw v*re-ish theme, (not heavy) blood, dubious consent, (magic) bondage, strangulation you'll never guess who. Please proceed with caution if you are sensitive to these topics

[Translation Notes]

In here, both MC and Lucien are Snake Demons (蛇妖). Demons (妖 yāo) – (which is sometimes left untranslated as “Yao” or alternatively translated as Monsters) are born when an animal, plant, or even an inanimate object absorbs spiritual energy over a long period and then gains spiritual awareness. They're not necessarily evil and are different from 魔 (Mó)/Evil Spirits. Still, their identity as such beings in this AU is important to remember because it means that both MC and Lucien are indifferent to human standards of morality.

Also in this date, there's a concept of cultivation or "修炼" (xiūliàn), which is a central concept in many Chinese fantasy genres, particularly in xianxia (仙侠) literature. It involves the practice of refining one's body, mind, and spirit to achieve higher levels of power, enlightenment, or immortality. As for other terms… I'll add T/N if there are more specific terms ahah-

And, let me explain a bit about the v*re theme... So, in some Chinese fantasy literature and cultivation stories, consuming others can be a method of cultivation. This practice might involve eating parts of these beings to gain their powers or absorb their essence, which is believed to advance their cultivation level. Although I’m also kind of convinced with what Chuverall said that ‘hunger’ here is a metaphor for another kind of desire or Lucien just genuinely confuses lust with hunger😂

[Pre-evolve call - Wandering Ballpoint pen]

[Subbed Video]

I highly recommend watching the subbed video! I SWEAR I never heard him moan and pant so much on one date or heck, even in ASMR.

In case YouTube decides the date is too explicit, I also upload it on Twitter.

Also, to avoid the video getting deleted by youtube, I age-restricted it u.u

✂— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[Transcript Ver]

—[Part 1]—

I'm starving.

I swallow a pile of random 'food' expressionlessly, yet the intense emptiness and hunger are not satisfied in the slightest.

Immense power courses through my body, but it seems as if it is confined within an earthen jar, desperately trying to find an outlet, yet unable to find a way out.

I am well aware that, after four hundred years, I have once again encountered the opportunity to break through the Primordial Spirit stage.

Back then, I devoured the crocodile demon that had occupied the deep pool for hundreds of years, and only after digesting its entire Primordial Spirit did I successfully achieve the breakthrough.

[T/N: Primordial spirit or 元神 (yuán shén) is typically regarded as a higher, more refined level of consciousness or spiritual essence within a being. If cultivated enough, a primordial spirit can gain some consciousness and you can project yourself outward (important for the later part ;)]

[T/N: A breakthrough in cultivation refers to a significant leap in spiritual or martial progress, often leading to enhanced abilities or a higher level of power. It can happen several times.]

I feel the surge of power within me, and now I only crave for more.

Half a country's worth of humans is probably not enough. I still need to find a way to concentrate on cultivation, or perhaps consume another powerful being.

The harsh, blazing sunlight pierces through the cave entrance, casting a bright circle inside the cave.

I squint my eyes, lazily stretching my snake tail towards the patch of light.

The cautious tip of my snake tail ventures only an inch into the light but is instantly pierced by the scorching heat, causing it to shudder and quickly recoil back into the shadows.

MC: …So hot.

MC: I'll think about it later.

The chilly and damp stone cave dispels the scorching heat of the sun. I close my eyes and adjust my position for greater comfort, half my body submerged in the pool water.

There's no need to rush. After all, this scorching summer heat that could kill a demon is a mysterious demon-slaying technique in itself.

??: …

Suddenly, I sense something entering my cave.

It's just that the little creature's demonic power is too weak to stir even a sliver of my interest.

Perhaps because of my indifference, "it" seems to be growing bolder, venturing closer and even approaching my pool.

Slightly displeased, I open my eyes, only to meet with a pair of unfamiliar eyes—deep and brimming with smiles.

??: So hot. May I borrow a corner of your abode, My Lord?

The man's clothes hang loosely on his frame, barely concealing his broad, sculpted chest in a manner that seems almost deliberate as he leans casually against a nearby rock.

[T/N: The use of 欲盖弥彰 😂 This idiom literally means "trying to cover up but only making it more obvious." This implies that his attempt to ‘dress modestly’ is actually drawing more attention to his physique and carrying a subtle hint of deliberate seduction LOL]

Who is he?

Countless lesser monsters inhabit this mountain, and I never pay attention to those I can crush with half a finger.

But perhaps it's because I'm so bored, or perhaps because he carries the scent of my own kind, that I can't help but stare at him for a long while.

Lucien: My Lord, my name is Lucien.

Perhaps sensing the reason for my silence, he smiles gracefully and bows his head respectfully.

Lucien: I have been living in this mountain for many years, always relying on your protection, My Lord.

Lucien: I have expressed my gratitude to you many times before, My Lord, but it seems...

He pauses, his deep and bright eyes settling on me.

Lucien: ...those sentiments have not reached you.

Hearing him say this, I try to recall the countless memories I've accumulated over the years on this mountain, but I can't possibly remember the face of every insignificant lesser demon.

Seeing that I still show no reaction, the lesser demon's face seems to stiffen for a brief moment.

But a seductive curve quickly forms on his lips as he steps into the pool.

His body bends gracefully in the pool as water laps over his waist and abdomen, leaving him glistening wet.

He extends his arms into the pool, seemingly sensing and finding my tail as if guided by instinct.

His cold fingertips gently caress my scales, then encircle my tail and draw it towards his chest.

Water droplets run down his hair, trace the contours of his jaw and cascade onto his chest, mingling with the water dripping from the tip of my tail. Together, they seep through his semi-transparent garment, disappearing into the curve of his waist.

The uncomfortable warmth faintly spread over me, yet his audacious behavior piqued my curiosity. I wonder what intriguing actions this lesser demon can do.

But my somewhat arrogant and silent scrutiny doesn't seem to instill any fear in him.

He nuzzles my snake tail with his face, his lips gently pressing against my scales. After a moment of delicate caressing, he—

Suddenly bites down hard.

MC: …!

A tingling numbness quickly spreads from the tip of my tail. The venom is manageable, and it will take me less than a moment to neutralize it.

Yet, in that fleeting moment, a particularly hazy, green-colored figure forms in my mind.

MC: Are you that little green snake who bit my tail decades ago and then fainted?

—[Part 2]—

=Flashback start=

One autumn many years ago, the sunlight was still pleasant, and I was coiled idly in the mountain, feeling bored to death.

The autumn light stretches endlessly, the entire forest suffused with a lingering pleasant fragrance that makes me coil my body even more lazily.

My demonic aura permeates the entire mountain, utterly unrestrained. The lesser demons cower in corners, none foolish enough to dare disturb my tranquility.

Suddenly, a burst of very weak stings prickled the tip of my tail.

Puzzled, I lifted my tail, only to find a small green snake clinging to it.

It must have tried to feed on my energy but was overwhelmed by the backlash of my demonic power. The little snake has already fainted, but its tiny fangs are still tightly embedded in me.

It's natural for creatures to have a predatory instinct, but such a bold and greedy little thing might eventually develop even greater desires.

I observed it for a few more moments with interest before casually tossing it away.

=Flashback ends=

That blurry green shape in the daylight unexpectedly coalesces into the face of the person standing before me.

Turns out it really transformed into a demonic form.

My tail instantly coils around his entire body, tightening around his neck, and pulls him towards me.

MC: What did you say your name was?

Lucien: [his sexy gasps and breathless voice?#(#+-$(asdfghjkl] My Lord, my name is Lucien.

The venomous fangs in his mouth remain unretracted as if deliberately left exposed to provoke.

I grip his upper jaw, my fingertips sliding into his parted lips, caressing the delicate tips of his fangs.

As I gradually apply pressure, a pale yellow liquid slowly trickles down my fingertips.

A fascination stirs within my heart, and I drive the venom to flow uncontrollably until it overflows my palm.

The labored breath escaping his lips doesn't bring even a hint of fear to the face before me. Those eyes, like mysterious deep pools, draw me in completely.

MC: I remember you.

I lick the venom on my fingertips and then lightly lean toward his lips.

MC: Perhaps devouring you wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Lucien: [x2!] It would be my honor to become a part of you, My Lord.

Venom from his fangs spills to the corner of his lips, adding an inexplicable allure to his serene expression.

Lucien: [X3!!] However... to you, my lord, my demonic power is very weak. Even after appearing before you many times, I never caught your attention.

Lucien: [X4!!!] I'm afraid I can't help you achieve your breakthrough, my lord.

[T/N: Throughout this date, he used a "您" (nín) to address MC instead of the usual “你” (nǐ), which is the formal and polite way to say "you" in Chinese. It is used to show respect, deference, and admiration to the person being addressed.]

His face even bears a hint of hidden bitterness, as if silently reproaching me.

MC: How did you know I wanted to breakthrough?

Lucien: Because in my eyes... all I see is your figure.

Lucien: In the corners you never noticed, I've always been watching you.

Through those deep and unfathomable eyes, I see a reflection of a slender white figure, and her face is filled with disdain and inexplicable emotion.

Lucien: You've protected this place for many years, providing us with a safe haven. So, I also wish to contribute my humble efforts to your cause.

Lucien: I have found a group of remarkable humans who might be able to help you break through your cultivation, My Lord.

Half a country wouldn't even suffice.

I form this sentence in my mind but don't say it out loud.

Facing my silence, he gently smiles, as if he had expected it.

Lucien: What do you think, My Lord... about the 361 demon-slaying cultivators of the Qingping Sect, including the Sect Leader—what should be done with them?

His hushed whispers are carried on a breathy exhale and reach my lips. Sinking into the depths of his dark eyes, I curl my lips into a smile.

MC: Is there more to this than meets the eye?

Lucien: In the past two years, many demon hunters from this sect have repeatedly disturbed the peace in the mountain, and many lesser demons have fallen at their hands.

Lucien: My Lord, you have cast spells in this mountain, clearly not wishing to be disturbed. I merely volunteered to ease your worries.

MC: But those bugs always manage to get in, do you know why?

Lucien: A sophisticated formation like yours, My Lord, is naturally beyond the comprehension of a lowly demon like myself.

Lucien: The Qingping Sect is also a great sect with a hundred years of history; [chuckles] Perhaps there are some mysterious and powerful humans there.

Lucien smiles modestly and looks at me obediently.

I close my eyes, pondering his words over and over.

The Qingping Sect people have been coming to the mountain to hunt demons in summer and winter for the past few years. They must have observed my movements.

When I'm dormant, I'm usually too lazy to bother with such trivial matters. But if it's delivered to my doorstep, there's certainly no reason to refuse.

But with Lucien's cultivation level, it should be very difficult for him to handle such a large sect.

I think for a moment, then fling him away.

MC: So, in a place where the talented and powerful people hide, how are you going to offer them to me?

Lucien: I'm just using a few little tricks. You can inspect it now, My Lord.

His words barely leave his lips when the scene before me abruptly blurs. In a flash, I conceal my demonic form.

✂— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

An unfamiliar Taoist temple comes into view. We are already standing in the shadows of a corner.

I glance around, slightly raise my fingertips, and strangle Lucien's neck.

MC: Lucien, I don't like being controlled by anything else.

[T/N: MC actually called him 小许 (Xiao Xu) here which can be translated into ‘Little Lu' but that sounds odd in EN-]

Lucien: [gasping for breath and hoarsely says-] Perhaps… I was just too eager, hoping I could be of some help to you.

Lucien: [still with his hoarse voice-] I really long to see you happy.

His eyes curve into a gentle arc, showing a certain beauty that is both pleasing to the eye and delightful to the heart.

I let out a cold snort, dismissing him, and step out of the shadows, releasing my hold on his neck.

The scorching sun beats down mercilessly, making me irritable. Just as I'm about to turn around and warn that little creature to make it quick, I sense an unusually strange and mysterious Qi in the air.

In the shadows, Lucien stands still, his deep, dark eyes hiding a gleam.

Interesting.

A spark of interest ignites within me, and I swagger down the road.

Several demon hunters who look quite delicious pass by me. They appear numb, like puppets, and show no sign of panic in my presence.

??: Ah, it's Mr. Lucien!

Suddenly, a young Daoist Priest seems to regain his senses and runs towards me.

Lucien, who is already standing beside me, responds gently.

Lucien: Greetings, Daoist Priest.

Lucien's eyes shimmer with an emerald green light. As his voice trails off, several nearby demon hunters eagerly gather around, engaging him in conversation.

MC: "Do they know you?"

I glance at Lucien and use a spell to transmit the words directly into his mind.

But he merely smiles faintly, and under the gaze of those empty eyes, he leans down and whispers in my ear.

Lucien: [whispers] Some things are easier to erode from within.

Lucien: After all... I'm just a little green snake.

✂— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

—[Part 3]—

Abundant power surges within me. After absorbing and dissolving the last remnants of the primordial spirit, I open my eyes, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

While there's still a long way to go before my primordial spirit breaks through, I won't force it.

The blazing sun overhead reminds me of the day I parted ways with Lucien, leaving me to wonder how many days and nights have slipped by since.

The vastness of time has long since lost its meaning for me.

=Flashback start=

MC: Some of these are for you.

Lucien: …?

Upon hearing my words, he seemed to freeze for a moment, his eyes darkening slightly.

Lucien: If I wanted to keep it all for myself, I wouldn't have invited you, My Lord. All of this is my offering…

MC: You're so long-winded.

MC: Rewards are given for merit; take it if it's given to you. Those are my rules.

I was too lazy to listen to his long-winded speech, so I stood on the steps and looked down at him.

MC: Lucien, I have only one question for you right now.

MC: Aren't you hungry?

Lucien: ….

He stood in my shadow, deeply gazing up at me.

After a long pause, he curled his lips into a bewitching smile, his gaze locked intently on me. He extended his tongue, lightly licking his lips.

Lucien: [the long licking noises!??+$+*+$+] Very hungry, my lord.

=Flashback end=

I stand up and stretch, ready to take a stroll in the mountain and see how Lucien's cultivation is progressing.

He's very clever. In just a few decades, he's not only cultivated into a demon form but also amassed considerable power and even dealt with the entire Qingping Sect.

Perhaps in a few more decades, he could be the final piece I need for my breakthrough.

Just as I am about to leave the cave, I sense an extremely familiar pheromone nearby.

Its owner is cleverly masking their scent within my demonic aura, but it seems they're struggling to maintain the disguise, and faint traces are still leaking through.

I raise my head to gaze at the colossal Buddha statue before me, and then with a swift movement, I stand atop the entwining vines that encircle it. A quick glance reveals a familiar figure—

sexy bgm playing

Lucien: ...!

His dark green outer robe has slipped down to his arms, revealing a large expanse of his back. The slanting rays of the sun illuminate the faint snake scales on his skin.

Gold dust spills from the cracks in the Buddha statue, scattering around him. One of his hands, unable to contain the surging power, has fully transformed into its demonic form.

His broad and supple snake tail is fully exposed, writhing restlessly against the stone statue, creating a subtle rustling sound as it rubs against the surface.

Fine beads of sweat emerge on his forehead, gradually dampening his hair, which clings stickily to his flushed skin and trails downwards.

Lucien seems surprised by my arrival, turning around with a guarded look, his fingers reaching for his shoulder as if wanting to cover up more.

Lucien: [panting as if he's in a freaking heat] My Lord, how could you...?

MC: Lucien, you're really good at finding places, aren't you?

I examine the area around the Buddha's Hand. Lush bushes cover most of the cave entrance, providing him with ample shelter along with my demonic aura.

A small white snake then slithered into the opening of his clothing, making its way up to his face.

[T/N: Remember what I mentioned about how powerful cultivators can project themselves outward—so this white snake is indeed MC but she has projected her soul outward]

Lucien: [x2] I'm fortunate to have your protection.

He pants lightly, his eyes never leaving even for a moment, fixed firmly on my figure.

Lucien: I understand that you needed to focus on your cultivation and didn't want to be disturbed.

Lucien: [while slightly panting] But I haven't experienced many breakthroughs before. I need to focus all my energy on refining my spirit. Last time, I almost got eaten by other lesser demons…

Lucien: [with more panting and huskier voice] Being by your side, My Lord, I feel more at ease and can also help guard against potential dangers for you.

His husky voice sends tingling sensations through me, making me inexplicably feel a bit hungry.

Lucien: [man literally panting with each sentence?!$+($+$asdjfjdkd] I just didn't expect you to be so powerful, absorbing so many spirits in such a short time…

He furrows his brow in what seems like frustration, which looks a bit cute.

MC: Those are still far from enough, but your breakthrough speed is also faster than I thought.

Lucien: [still with the sus panting as if in heat] It's all… thanks to you, My Lord.

He forces a weak smile, seemingly still struggling to suppress the surging power within him.

I know that feeling, the unbearable heat from the inside out, the frantic surge of Qi sweeping through the body again and again, as the soul drifts between fullness and emptiness.

I've always been on my own, so it's quite interesting to witness someone else going through this for the first time.

Lucien's fingertips continue to tighten, revealing an attractive white color.

He seems to be waiting there, waiting for me to disappear. But I don't.

I wiggle my fingers, and the little white snake glides along his burning skin. Every inch closer elicits a heavier, instinctive gasp from the depths of his throat.

The increasingly prominent snake scales seem to be burning, and his long tail coils around the Buddha's hand over and over while continuously trembling.

MC: Is it hard to bear?

He knows she's laughing.

Through his hazy gaze, he sees the girl perched on a nearby branch, like a wisp of delicate white gauze, overlooking him completely.

He can feel the cold little snake mischievously exploring all over his body as if her fingertips were stroking him.

This makes him feel even more messed up.

The power surges within him, more violently than he anticipated, and it's taking longer than expected.

He overestimated her greed, and at the same time, underestimated his own.

A tremendous sense of emptiness drowns him in an instant, magnified infinitely under her wicked gaze.

At that moment, it's as if he forgets everything.

He instinctively follows that surge of intense force, returning to a darker place, where he finds some form of primitiveness and liberation.

A surge of heat courses through him from his chest to his lower body, carrying him from the heights of the clouds to the mist below.

He is obviously filled with a momentary sense of satisfaction, yet a greater emptiness is born. Amidst the lingering white mist, her eyes always remain clear.

Bright, vile, and charming.

As if shining into his greedy soul, allowing him to see the reflection of his face so clearly.

Lucien: [breathing heavily after some kind of ‘release’...but obviously haven't ‘satisfied’ yet-] ….

Suddenly, I see Lucien smile.

He leans against the Buddha's palm, his entire body sprawled out and clothes in a mess. It's as if he's completely submerged in water.

The tense snake's tail trembles as it lifts, gently and intimately coiling around my wrist.

People say snake demons are masters of seduction, but perhaps they are not even one ten-thousandth as good as the person before me.

Lucien: [panting, whispers hoarsely] Teach me... My Lord.

MC: Aren't you afraid that I'll really eat you?

I laugh and tease him. The moment my toes touch the Buddha's hand, a scorching hot snake's tail wraps tightly around my waist, coiling down to one of my ankles.

With a gentle tug, he pulls me into an even hotter embrace.

Lucien: [moans and pants as he whispers hoarsely] Then just eat me.

Lucien: [x2] From the very beginning, I didn't mind becoming one with you, My Lord.

His breath is hot, and so is his gaze. This kind of temperature, which usually makes me uncomfortable, fills me with some kind of pleasure now.

I gently caress his chest, feeling the surge of Qi within him, and can't help but smile even wider.

MC: If you want to be eaten by me... you're still too weak.

Infusing my power into my palm, I gather his power into one place.

At this moment, I realize that I might have left Lucien with too much force. It's no wonder he hasn't fully absorbed such a massive force. It's also fortunate that he has exceptional abilities.

If he were an ordinary demon, his meridians would have ruptured long ago.

[T/N: Meridians (经脉) are the channels through which Qi/vital energy flows in the body, if it ruptures it can lead to death]

MC: Luckily, you've been able to hold on until now.

MC: But... you still need to work harder.

I push my palm forward, dismantling that power and sending it into his primordial spirit.

I feel myself being hugged tightly, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. His snake fangs bite hard into my shoulder and release his venom with a force that feels like a torrent.

The venom he secreted is like sweet honey, devoid of any threat.

When he raises his head again, I see that his deep eyes have become even brighter, as if they have swallowed a thousand surging tides.

MC: How do you feel?

Lucien: [x3] My lord... your body is so cold and feels so good.

His tail coils tighter around me, and his scorching breath falls on my neck.

He seems to have coiled his entire body around me, enveloping me in his center.

Lucien: [x4] You... are very beautiful.

His wet tongue slides again and again across my throat and neck. I feel like his whole body is exuding a delicious scent.

I'm so hungry.

I can't resist the urge to bite his lips. His strong essence is absorbed into my body through our intertwined lips and tongues.

Lucien doesn't resist at all and just hugs me tightly as if devoutly offering his entire being to me.

In an instant, I push him away, meeting his gaze, which seems to hold an air of expectation.

Lucien: [gasping weakly] Are you not going to eat me anymore?

He looks a bit tired, but his lips still rest against mine, like the instinctive nuzzling of an animal.

I don't respond to him, only glancing at him for a moment before covering his captivating eyes with my hand.

MC: Go to sleep.

Just a little longer. If I wait a bit more, he'll be even more delicious, and it'll help me break through even further.

✂— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[T/N: Fun fact: In real life, snakes intertwine their tails and bite each other when they mate. Why do I mention this? Well you'll see :)]

✂— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

—[Part 4]—

Over a month later, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the evening breeze brings a chill. I stretch and head down the mountain, holding up my skirt as I walk.

I quite enjoy human festivals. Every year, during these times, the lively and interesting rituals make this frail race seem a bit more endearing.

Bathed in the soft glow, a familiar figure dressed in green appears in my sight.

Lucien: My Lord, it seems quite lively down there. Is that the human "temple fair" they speak of?

MC: You've been in human form for decades, and you know quite a few demon hunters from the Qingping Sect. Haven't you ever been to a temple fair?

Lucien: I'm just a lowly demon, so I wouldn't dare.

Lucien: But if I go with you, I'm sure I'll be able to experience some of the fun.

MC: [smiles softly] Are you a fool?

With a grand sweep of my hand, I lead him into the warm and dazzling sea of lights.

I turn to face him, a smile playing on my lips as I tilt my chin up in a challenge.

MC: Since you're already a demon, you can afford to be even more bolder sometimes.

His pupils dilate sharply. The gently swaying lanterns cast a soft, flickering light as Lucien gazes deeply into my eyes. Then, in a surprising turn, he reaches out and takes my hand in his.

Lucien: I will certainly heed your teachings, My Lord.

We make our way through the bustling crowd. Though Lucien seems a little curious about everything around him, he still walks steadily by my side.

Suddenly, he stops in his tracks.

I turn back to see him carefully wiping a jade bracelet on one of the stalls.

The bracelet is a vibrant green throughout, its color rich and translucent, with a subtle, warm glow. At a glance, it's clearly a piece of exquisite jade.

I don't know why, but that captivating shade of green reminds me of his original appearance.

He quickly pays for it, and amidst the vibrant spectacle of festive lights, gently places the bracelet on my wrist.

MC: What are you doing?

Lucien: I saw that other humans seem to do this. Do you like it?

In that fleeting moment, he seems to be imbued with the essence of the human world. His eyes curve into gentle crescents as he smiles tenderly.

In the vast and endless expanse of time, I can no longer remember if the last person who smiled at me like this was also so soul-stirring.

Perhaps, there has never been such a person before.

MC: Though I can't say whether I like it or not...

MC: But you seem to have become even more delicious.

Lucien seems to smile even more happily. For some reason, I think I see the same emotion of mine reflected in his eyes.

But that's probably just my imagination. Despite his greed, he's ultimately just a weak lesser demon.

As we stroll along, the distant voice of a storyteller drifts towards us.

Storyteller: “Continuing from where we left off, the battle between the thousand-year-old white snake demon of Baihua Mountain and the crocodile demon has been at a standstill for a full hundred days…”

Groups of young boys and girls walk together, their faces flushed with shy smiles. An elderly woman calls out, advertising her steaming hot meat buns. Red firecrackers explode, welcoming a bride from some unknown family.

The festive atmosphere surrounds us. Perhaps influenced by the surroundings, I hear Lucien's curious voice.

Lucien: My Lord, are you also interested in human love?

MC: That's the most impermanent thing in this world.

I take a bite of the candied hawthorn he's holding and gaze at the ordinary faces around us.

MC: It might be interesting, but as demons, we live for far too long. So long that...

MC: Such fragile things can't nourish our parched and greedy souls.

MC: But if you're interested, you could always find a human and experience it a little.

I smile and playfully bop his nose.

MC: [teasingly] But be careful, don't let any bad woman trick you, Lucien.

Lucien: You worry too much. I have no interest in those.

Lucien: Because I've already encountered and tasted something far more delectable.

His dark inky eyes hold my reflection captive, as if drawing me into their hidden depths.

Lucien: Lord MC has taught me everything I wanted to know…

Lucien: As one of the same kind.

Later, Lucien takes the initiative to show me around several places. After we've explored the town extensively, fireworks illuminate the deep night sky.

Lucien: Do you know where we can enjoy the most beautiful fireworks?

MC: You've asked the right demon.

With a flick of my finger, I whisk him away to an ancient pagoda that's been sealed for many years.

The airtight walls keep the interior pitch black. The air is filled with the scent of sandalwood, and the faint sound of fireworks echoes like distant bells.

Lucien: It seems... we can't see any fireworks here.

MC: Just wait.

I turn my palm, and in the blink of an eye, the surrounding stone walls suddenly become transparent, as if they were never there.

I pull Lucien to sit at the center of the circular platform. Suddenly, a profusion of vibrant fireworks bursts forth all around us, their carefree beauty so close as if within reach.

The vibrant colors of the fireworks paint Lucien's figure, layer upon layer. For the first time, someone is here with me to enjoy the fireworks, and my heart can't help but fill with a touch of joy.

MC: Humans are so rigid. They think a tranquil place can't also be lively. What a waste of a good spot.

MC: Might as well let these Buddhas enjoy the show too.

Lucien: [softly] Indeed… incredibly beautiful.

As he speaks, it's hard to tell if his eyes are fixed on me or the fireworks behind me.

But beautiful scenery is always fleeting. Soon, the fireworks display comes to an end.

And as I try to stand up, I suddenly realize that I can't move.

Just as I'm about to summon my power, a piercing pain shoots through my entire body. It feels as though some invisible ropes in the air are binding me in place.

While I'm still puzzled, I hear Lucien's surprised voice—

Lucien: ...I didn't expect it to succeed on the first try.

I lift my head, and our gazes collide. His eyes are full of smiles.

His index and middle fingers pressed together, their tips shimmering with a faint light as he swiftly forms an intricate seal in the air.

The instant I see the strikingly familiar gesture, my eyes widen in shock.

MC: ...Why do you know a sealing spell used only by demon hunters?!

Lucien: Humans are rigid, thinking a tranquil place can't be lively. And you demons are just as rigid. Who says...

Lucien: ...a demon can't learn the arts of eliminating demons?

His lips form a triumphant and seductive curve as his cold fingertips caress my cheek.

Lucien: Don't worry, I know my own capabilities.

Lucien: The formation I've set up across the entire town, combined with the second layer of formation at the heart of it, will only restrain you for a short while.

Lucien: [whispers] However, this short time will be enough.

His voice softly weaves into my ears as he holds me tightly in his embrace.

MC: Those places you took me to earlier... were they all part of setting up this formation?

Lucien: That was merely just a test.

Lucien: [chuckles] It was you who said, I could be a bit bolder.

His delicate breath steadily brushes against my neck, making me feel lightheaded that maintaining my human form takes almost all of my strength.

MC: This… this is a Qingping Sect ancient text... You couldn't possibly have had the chance to…

A shockingly unbelievable thought suddenly pops into my mind. I clutch his lapel tightly, my whole body trembling.

MC: So it was you... You found the weakness in the mountain formation and led the Qingping Sect to hunt the demons.

Lucien: Yes, it was me.

All pretense vanishes from his eyes, revealing utterly raw and unbridled greed and desire.

Lucien: Those humans are so easily deceived. As long as I help them kill a few demons, they think I'm a talent worth cultivating.

Lucien: So I had the chance to plant the poison. In just over a decade, they would be completely under my control.

Lucien: And My Lord, you are my best reward.

Lucien: I finally found the opportunity to gain your trust. And with your help, I also obtained the ancient text.

[T/N: I think, her ‘help’ refers to her ‘eating’ the most Sect member which was his offering. Now that the whole sect was gone, he was able to gain access to the Sect's sacred ancient text, which allowed him to learn how to create this formation to trap her-]

His words are incredibly gentle, yet devoid of any warmth. He meticulously plans every step, taking small risks for greater gains. In the end, he uses the entire town as a formation, waiting for me to walk into the trap myself.

MC: Have you been wanting to eat me all along?

Lucien: [whispers hoarsely] I've never lied to you.

He smiles as he presses his cold lips against my brow and eyes, tenderly caressing my lips.

Lucien: [his whispers become increasingly obsessive-] I told you, from the moment you appeared in my life, in my eyes... all I see is your figure.

Lucien: [x2!] A snake wanting to eat another snake… that's normal, isn't it…?

Lucien: [x3!!] I've always, always... wanted to eat you.

*sexy bgm playing-*

Along with his voice, a slippery tail coils around the tip of my own.

As if fearing I might escape, it coils around me tightly from the start. Our scales rustle as they rub against each other, and I feel inexplicable suffocation.

Lucien lowers his gaze to look at me, his eyes filled with undisguised desire. He bares his fangs, teasingly grazing my skin before swiftly sinking them in with a sharp bite.

After a slight sting, a cold liquid is injected into the bite mark. My skin grows hotter and hotter, making the coldness even more alarming.

He probably knows that this bit of venom can't harm me, so he indulges in "tasting" me to his heart's content.

His sharp fangs expertly latch onto the easy-to-bite spots, biting down hard as if he really intends to devour me.

He leans toward me, pressing closer and closer. Our tails are already entwined inseparably; the tips of our hair and the sashes of our clothes are in complete disarray.

I can't summon any power to resist the venom's encroachment. I can only feel the burning heat spreading through my limbs and bones, my whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Lucien: [moaning and panting] I know I can't completely devour you yet, but it doesn't matter…

Lucien: [x2!] I will leave my mark inside your body, on every inch of your skin.

Lucien: [x3!!] Let our breaths entwine... until yours carries the essence of mine.

He bites my lip, his mouth devouring every bit of my moan and wet sounds. His tongue, laced with venom, forcefully swirls over mine, compelling me to swallow every drop.

Lucien: [hisses and groans] Until... the day I eat you.

My head is swimming, all I can feel is his snake tail coiling tighter around me, a tingling heat flowing through my body as something is being poured inside me again and again.

The feeling is too arousing, making me instinctively tighten my body, but also wrapping him even tighter.

The air is heavy with erotic scents, and the sound of our entwined scales rubbing against each other creates an ambiguous symphony of slick and moist noises, intensifying my hunger step by step.

MC: [laughs] The one who should be eaten... is you, isn't it?

MC: Given time, I will cleanse your weak poison completely.

MC: Great, you already look delicious.

Unfamiliar yet pleasurable waves surge rapidly within me, hitting me again and again, causing me to instinctively bite him back.

The cloyingly sweet blood, mixed with venom and clear bodily fluids, fills our mouths, necks, and entire bodies.

Lucien: [groans and breathlessly says] …Then let's see how this plays out.

Scalding sweat trickles down his jaw, blending into my clothes that are already soaked with sweat.

Lucien pushes deeper into me as if even the deepest part of my soul is being imbued with his essence.

Lucien: [moans and gasps] No matter the outcome… we will… become one.

———————Fin——-—————

[Lux's afterwords]

Not much analysis here, this date is pretty much just ‘fast food’ LOL. So, while his obsession towards MC definitely gets amped up in this AU, I do like how it still retains his core like his greediness, curiosity, and obsessiveness/stubbornness though 👀 and the details of them mirroring each other's desire are always so!!!

Although the ending is fairly predictable given his character, this date introduces a fresh element with its unique dynamic where the power balance shifts in favor of MC 😂 It conveys a similar dynamic of the ‘God x mortal’ trope, where the mortals yearn for the love of their God. And despite all the things he did, I really can't help but think that he really is just a hardworking yet stubborn/obsessive little snake HAHA.

His final line! I think… it's the biggest proof that he never really lied to her. His final line on this date reveals that his ultimate goal is to become one with her, whether through her eating him or vice versa, the method or outcome doesn't matter to him. Since he is much weaker than her, it's easier for him to be consumed (which is why he keeps asking her to eat him). However, in case she doesn’t want to eat him, he also has this backup plan. Whether he is to be consumed or to consume her, both scenarios require decades of deceiving humans to first gain her attention. While his methods may not be entirely honest, it is undeniable that he has worked very hard for her and it's a bit endearing🤧 or maybe it's time for me to admit that atp i'll forgive any shits he pulled *kicked*

[luckthebard]

So this is a very niche rant that is probably only something I've noticed or been annoyed by, but:

The longer Critical Role has gone on and the more changes they've made/content they've created, there's been an increase in weird people who are desperate and determined to prove that changes or content they don't like are "an objective failure" - but often lie or deliberately misunderstand viewership statistics to do so.

There are a few big "facts" I see repeated by people to argue that CR has "gone in the wrong direction" that are just plain wrong, and I think what annoys me most is seeing so many people engage with those "facts" without bothering to double-check them or push back against the certainty with which people state them. An example of one I keep seeing now is "twitch streaming numbers are down" and it's like, yeah, sure, in comparison to when they didn't simultaneously air on YouTube. If you add up the YT and Twitch numbers these days it's about the same as mid-late C2, but people love to act like YT streaming doesn't exist to make a point that "people don't like C3". And I tbh don't care if people like or dislike C3 but why this determination to falsely quantify and validate a personal preference?

The earliest I saw this was an intense agreement on reddit that Exandria Unlimited was a "failure" for CR, "unlike Undeadwood," because viewership numbers were lower. And it was tbh baffling to not see pushback against that narrative, because it's just objectively untrue. Original EXU's VOD streaming numbers are higher than every single episode of Undeadwood, and it premiered literally years later. It also has a lower "drop-off" in viewership (comparison of how many views episode 1 vs the finale has) than Undeadwood, despite frequent claims to the contrary. And don't mistake me here, I really enjoyed Undeadwood, but it actually was a viewership misstep for CR to the degree that they didn't try anything like it again for a while after and significantly changed how they approached marketing and airing miniseries. (A big one being: don't air a long miniseries simultaneously with the main series, it's too much content for most people to invest in during a week.)

(Sidebar, but another great miniseries CR did that didn't get a lot of viewership love is the Elder Scrolls Online trilogy, so I'm going to plug it here. It has some weirdly low viewership numbers on episodes 2 and 3 and I promise you they're both well worth it.)

The other one I keep seeing is "4 Sided Dive has lower numbers than Talks" which is also just not true. Most 4 Sided Dive VODs have nearly twice as many views as Talks VODs (and I'm using the ones that aired directly on the CR channel as a metric here, not the ones re-uploaded from G&S which lost numbers in the change-over). And I'll tbh chalk that up to the fact 4SD airs much less frequently - people are more likely to think it's necessary to watch whereas with Talks if you weren't interested in the guests you might skip a week. I'm not making any claims about the quality of either show, but the use of false viewership statistics to support "one of these sucks" is so rampant and so weird.

All this to say that yesterday I saw a weird viewer-hungry YouTube clickbait video titled "Midst a FAILURE for Critical Role!!" with a truly absurd confidence on what the VOD streaming numbers for the Midst YouTube videos mean for the series mere days after the premier and snapped.

tl;dr, people just make shit up and say whatever on the internet all the time and we hopefully all understand and expect that BUT (and here's the more annoying thing) 9 times out of 10 people just engage with that WITHOUT LOOKING INTO IT THEMSELVES

[ducktracy]

the first clip for "the day the earth blew up" was posted on twitter. can you spare us your thoughts?

@aadrawings: So uh how about that new Looney movie clip?

I MOST CERTAINLY CAN SPARE MY THOUGHTS! TWIST MY ARM! first, i'll link it here in case anyone hasn't seen it:

FIRST (and most obvious) THING'S FIRST: I'M SOOOOOOOOO EXCITED UUUUUUUUUUUUUGHHH!!! the film JUST started premiering in Annecy as we speak and my heart is literally pounding MY FINGERS LITERALLY SHAKING. so i apologize if this turns into a discombobulated mess i'm so so so excited and trying to keep an eagle eye out for any and all details. BUT ANYHOO

IT LOOKS GREAT!!! this is a fully rendered clip of the roughs that were uploaded back in September of 2022, so i'm already pretty familiar with this since i gushed over it to hell and back then, too. i had a few teeny tiny neurotic nitpicks that i would not take too seriously--honestly me nitpicking anything modern LT is a good sign because it means i'm ENGAGED and actively thinking and engaging with the material. there are a lot of modern LT adaptations i cannot say the same for. so it's all out of a labor of love and i also realize that most of these nitpicks are very.. you guys know my level of fanaticism. don't take it too seriously. my standards for this series AND THESE TWO KNUCKLEHEADS IN PARTICULAR who are my favorite characters of all time are so high that even the classics don't meet those expectations half the time. we all know i'm insane. BUT ENOUGH BLUFFING

my biggest critique is that it's going to take me quite a bit to get used to Eric Bauza's Porky. i LOVE Bauza, he is such a sweet guy (he sang me happy birthday as Daffy Duck and i almost exploded) and so talented and it's been really great seeing him rise up the ranks. i used to only know him as "the guy who voiced Stimpy in APC" and so i'm VERY glad to see he's gone on to greener pastures LOL.

but, with that said, the first time i saw these roughs i actually thought Porky's lines were scratch audio. there isn't enough stuttering--it's important for me to note that people give Porky's stutter WAY too much prevalence, in terms of how he sounds and just characterization as a whole. a stutter is not a personality. BUT, in the clips above, he doesn't really sound like Porky unless he's stuttering. it moreso sounds like Daffy talking to himself. Mel Blanc had Porky speak (and even sing!) in full sentences all the time, but it's never noticeable unless pointed out because Porky still sounded like Porky and Blanc knew how to make his personality come out in his voice beyond the vocal fluff of a stutter.

part of it is because i'm so used to Bob Bergen. and, even THEN, if i watch too much LTC or Duck Dodgers in one sitting, i need to "recalibrate" with the originals and hear Blanc. Bergen's Porky is much different than Mel's, more formal, the stutter more concrete in its formula (fun fact: Blanc's Porky has a southern twang in his voice if you listen for it depending on who's voice directing and i love it so much. biggest giveaway is how his "i"'s will often sound like an "ah" instead, not thinking of the stutter. I WARNED YOU we are getting into super pedantic territory here), but, much like how Joe Alaskey's Daffy is a much different interpretation than Blanc's Daffy, he was able to really make it his own. i think Bauza's Porky is still in a little bit of a limbo in finding its identity with that regard. but, also, keep in mind we've only heard him in this clip and Space Jam 2 and i have no plans of revisiting SJ2 to make a point here. sorry

THAT'S MY BIGGEST CRITIQUE i'd say! others are small, such as the design of the landlady is fun but reads like something out of the 2020 Animaniacs than anything based in the LT design philosophy, and you could argue that the fluidity is more Richard Williams-esque in its visual fluffiness and perhaps even excessiveness than, again, anything relating to LT. but i take less stock in that last one because the animation is STILL GORGEOOOOOOOOOOOOUS WHAT THE HECK!!!! so many fluid arcs and i really love that scene of Daffy talking to the landlady. the subtle twitching on Porky's cheek as a secondary action made me laugh.

other than that... you guys know that I. LOVE. LTC. i have been tracking it before it released, and there are posts on this blog (i think i saw one even dating back to its initial announcement in 2018, though it may have been a 2019 post of the 2018 upload. dunno.) dating back before i was even into LT at ALL. i've been keeping an eagle eye on every single development. the day they premiered i watched the entire batch 3 times in a row. i streamed it for you guys too! some people reading this may have been in that room.

ALL THIS TO SAY, i LOVE LTC SO MUCH and it's been the most excited i've been for anything in a very long time. i also have my fair share of nitpicks, but, as i've expressed above, they all come out of a place of love. some of the Porky and Daffy shorts in the LTCs i would have handled differently if i had my hands on them. Porky and Daffy are two characters who are deeply special to me, everyone knows me as The Porky And Daffy person including my coworkers and bosses, my friends who worked on the show and film have told me many times they're eager for my thoughts. the pig and duck are literally a part of my identity. so my critiques come more out of a place of fanaticism and love for the characters and wanting to do them justice and wanting people to see what i see in them, rather than an actual dig at the product

THAT ALL BEING SAID. there are some pitfalls and little traps the P+D (and a lot of LTC in general) shorts run into that i'm expecting to be in the movie as well. there's a little bit here with the screaming and some lines of dialogue that i probably would have shaved off (like "our roof?"). months ago i started typing up mini reviews of each LTC short that i may compile here someday--my Max subscription was about to run out and i wanted to watch all the LTCs one last time while i could. and then i renewed because i couldn't watch quickly enough and now need to return LOL--and it allowed me to lay out some of the nitpicks i have with the series more clearly, which i am fully expecting to also be in the movie. and that's okay!

ALLLL OF THIS RAMBLING IS TO SAY: I AM SO EXCITED. i've been tracking every single detail of this movie and this SERIES like a hawk since it was announced. i was even asked to work on the film back in 2021, but turned it down because i wasn't secure enough in my abilities and didn't know what job security would look like after i finished on the film. i'm glad i stuck with the decision as i did, because i figured i can draw those two any time i want, and the fact that i got asked meant that there are eyes on my work and i may get asked with other LT related offers (which turned out to be true!). needless to say, turning down the offer was genuinely one of the most excruciating things i've ever done and it seriously sent me into a pretty big funk for the next few days and weeks.

so, with all that said, it is ESPECIALLY important for me to see how this movie is and celebrate it and keep my fanatical obsessive eagle eye out. i'm so glad i get to live in a world where this is a movie that is happening and coming out. i've already got plans to see it with a best friend who i've shoved the agenda of the pig and duck down her throat many times. i am so excited to cheer on all my friends and colleagues who worked on this film. it's the most excited i think i have ever been for anything actively coming out in my life.

[redbatchedcumbermayned]

I have recorded different versions of my name, and the last time I was told it was Haynrix and I was like, really? Haynrix? - Interviewing Chris Tester part 3

We contiune talking about the transformative power of fanworks, a bit more about romancing Heinrix, how Heinrix is pronounced actually, what a dream come through project would be for Chris and why a stage production of Crime and Punishment was his most memorable work to date and his newly discovered interest in playing D&D.

Part 1 of the interview

Part 2 of the interview

This is the final part of the interview. Thank you so much for reading and listening! (the audio quality is not spectacular but tumblr limits uploads to 10MB). If you quote or reshare, please quote me as the original source.

F: It's very transformative. You take a game and you get your own stories after the game or with the people you interact with. It's very creative. Because Heinrix is very much an archetype, as you said, he has this duality about this very authoritative man with so much trauma underneath. There is a lot to explore, and that speaks for Olga's writing as well, because only a very well written character would draw you in like that into a story.

CT: I mean, it's a crazy balancing act, definitely. And at any time, it could close off, you shut him down, or he shuts you down. And you're like, Oh, okay.

F: And it was incredibly funny that the first romance lines straddled the line between workplace harassment and flirting. And he is so unnerved and then it doesn't like to cordon you off and say, well, you were too aggressive. Game over. 

CT: Yeah.

You can switch to this closeness path like in a real relationship, you are maybe very flirty, very teasy at the beginning, and then things get real and you get real and it changes. And that was very dynamic. I never experienced that before. BioWare writes great romances, but they are often very one note in their games.

CT: And there's still the kind of like, okay, so are we sleeping together? Yeah. Or we do not. All right. No, okay, great, fine. God, I had to go through all the different fucking options just to go like, Is this, is that, no, no, okay, fine, right, yeah. So in terms of nuance and dynamic, it's you've got your issues over there, but regardless, can I just say the right thing? Uh, or not, you know, or be pure, or whatever. Garrus was always a favourite for me.

F: Oh yeah, Garrus, Garrus is great.

CT: Yeah, yeah. I'll be honest I didn't really appreciate quite how subtly all of the pieces are put together until I played through bits of the game and watched bits of the game afterwards [this relates to Rogue Trader]. Because there are so many different moving parts, but also so much is recorded out of order, it's very difficult to get a full appreciation of the whole, and it's the credit of the directors to just be able to give you enough for you to get it in two or three takes, because we gotta move on because time is money is time. 

And so that's kind of crazy, where you've got to just act in faith in the moment and trust that the people who are listening on the other end feel as if they're getting what they need. Obviously the more you record, the more you get a sense of what the character is about and the palette and the playfulness and all of those kinds of things. But because there are such a multitude of choices anyway, no one can explain to you exactly the context of what it is because that's all such a movable feast as it is anyway.

F: That's a huge credit to voice actors to still get it right in three or four takes.

CT: Well, the aim is to give them options so that they can trial it out and be able to have a playfulness about things. It's always nice when you go like, I'm just going to try this different take on how this might traditionally be read as or something, and then you maybe hear that in the game and go like: Oh, okay, that's a little bit of whatever. 

Because quite often you'll probably be told to read a line no more than three times, and the first time that you read a line, that you read it out loud is the first time that you read the line at all. So, you don't read it in advance, and sometimes that goes in. It's normally the second or third take, I would say, but that depends very much on the voice actor. Because quite often, the whole point is to be quite good at sight reading, and sometimes there's a spontaneity in the reading of something for the very first time, which might give something a little bit unexpected, or a little bit fresher. 

And then you realise halfway through, there's a word I have no idea how to pronounce. Is it von Valancius? Von Valancius as it's written or von Valen and you're just like, the hell? Okay. And then you need to go back.

F: Or his name actually, because as a German, we have Heinrich as a first name. So is it Haynrix? Is this Hainrix? But we can say it's Low Gothic, so it doesn't matter.

CT: I have recorded different versions of my name, and the last time I was told it was Haynrix and I was like, really? Haynrix? Okay. Sure? But I've not had a definitive conversation about that, so I don’t know whether or not they change it or, or whatever.

F: I settled on, it's Low Gothic and not the German version and it's fine because that's a fantasy language. It doesn't matter. And I know from other voice actors that sometimes you don't get any directions on how something is pronounced.

CT: Quite often we're just taking an educated guess. I mean, they're very good in terms of some pronunciations, but if no other character is saying this word except you, then there's probably not a guide for it in which case you just make sure that you record it somewhere. So, it's consistent. So, if you're saying it more than once, at least you're saying it wrong consistently. So that becomes the new, right?

F: What was your most memorable work to date? Stage or voice acting?

CT: Stage or voice acting or whatever? God, I would say one was a production of Crime and Punishment. There you go. It was a three-person adaptation of the massive book really condensed into about 90 minutes, essentially. Quite a radical adaptation, but it was a beautifully written adaptation, and I think I did it probably about 2017, 2018. That was wonderful storytelling because it had so much of the original flavour in it and also this ambiguity of character. A much more ambiguous character than someone like Heinrix. Someone who is so eminently fallible and flawed, and yet trying to find a through line through it and a making of sense and the justification for the reasons why people do bad things. That is pretty iconic for me as an experience. 

I do feel lucky that a lot of the things that I'm able to explore in the video game or in the voiceover world generally are completely new and unexpected things. Whereas on stage, unless you're doing a lot of new writing, the vast majority of the time, it's a role that you're familiar with or have seen or have heard about. It's pre-existing. Whereas with some of these video games, you get to create that whole original world or character and that kind of stuff. Which is why if anybody asks me, what role do you want to play? I'm like, the role that I don't know exists yet, and Heinrix is very much one of those. Like, I had no idea and neither did I have any idea that it would develop in the way that it did. 

But the whole process itself is a lot of fun and you work with very cool people to tell a completely new and original story. But having that ambiguity, having that tension within the character, every actor has to find that for themselves anyway, just to keep creatively engaged and alive, but have that so vividly running as an undercurrent and for it to be able to go in different ways, that's such a cool kind of thing. I'm just so up for more of those kinds of opportunities. Maybe hopefully in the future, we'll see.

F: Has voicing Heinrix opened any doors? Did you notice an uptake in offers?

CT: I think it means that a few more people probably know who I am, and that's cool. A few more people. Yeah, it's definitely been referred to. Other than that, I don't know. But it certainly doesn't hurt being involved in such a high profile and well respected, well-loved game. I mean, for me as well, because I've done various different aspects of stuff in that world. That doesn't hurt. 

I love the whole Warhammer 40k universe, at the same time I don't want to just be like, I'm a 40k actor and that's all I do because that world also probably doesn't need just another white middle-class man in it, even if that is like 70 percent of the world. Like you say, they're trying to broaden it out and diversify it and necessarily if it wants to get to a bigger audience and have a healthier ecology on so many different kinds of levels. So, I don't want to go all in on just that, even if it's a very rich world. So, it was a real pleasure. 

F: Would you want to broaden your repertoire into radio plays, because I know on your LinkedIn, you write, you're the voice when Cumberbatch is busy and listening to you, there are undertones of Benedict Cumberbatch in your voice, and Benedict before he became really popular, he did something like Cabin Pressure, which is so fun.

CT: Yeah.

F: Would you be open to doing radio plays like that?

CT: Definitely. I've just recently come from a voiceover conference in the UK and did a couple of workshops and that reminded me of what the work is that I want to actively seek out. And there's a lot of audio drama stuff floating about, a lot of that is available via social media or is operated in the U.S. as opposed to in the UK., though there are some great ones in the UK. as well, and it's tricky to know why and how to validate some of those things. So, it's something that I would love to explore doing more of as well as, you know, you can do these audio drama things, which are kind of like shorter versions of audio books, almost essentially with not so many voices. And I think those medium and short form ways of storytelling would be lovely. It would be great because I'm not right for a lot of video games. 

I don't think I'll ever be actually a very prolific video game actor if that makes sense because I'm okay at shouting and I can play some monsters and I've got a couple of accents in the bag and that kind of thing in terms of doing voices. People will say it's about the acting Chris, it's not about voices, but doing some voices and being able to nail certain things there are people that are brilliant at that. But there are people who have probably a wider palette of voices than I will ever have. 

I never started out as a voice actor. I'm very much an actor who uses the voice, and I'm trying to broaden that out a little bit more as I keep on going. But I want to open myself up to more different types of stuff to be creatively fulfilled. The prospect of going into a recording session and screaming “grenade” and “bang” is not very fulfilling. I did that for a few games, and then I'm done with that. Like the money's not good enough for me to do that. I mean, never say never. If the money does become good enough, then we can talk. But you push your voice and it's a different kind of acting, I'll put it that way.

F: So, last question. What would be a dream come true project for you?

CT: A dream come true project? Probably something entirely original that I can't imagine. I would love to be able to work on an audio project where I'm working with other actors in real time. I would love to be able to work with most of the cast in Rogue Trader, for example, but I’d love it for us to be able to have dialogues where you're actually responding to each other as opposed to insert A, B or C here, that kind of thing. Because that's the one thing I kind of miss so much from the audio side of work is you getting something unexpected from the other person and then riffing off it. You have to self-generate as a voice actor that a director will go do you want to try it like this? Or maybe like this, it's supposed to be funny. Try it dead pan, that kind of thing.

But quite often that kind of spontaneous element of discovery only comes from when someone gives you a line in a way that you really didn't expect, and maybe it makes you laugh, when it's supposed to be tragic or whatever, those kinds of things. The biggest thing I miss about stage work is when you're working with an actor at the top of your game and they raise you up to their level. It's terrifying, but in the best way. Some actors can do that effortlessly because they're so in the moment, because they don't know what they're going to do next, even though they can find their light and make sure that the audience is still seeing their brilliant acting at the same time. Clever, clever bunnies. That feeling because they don't know exactly where they're going, you're kind alive to the moment in a way that quite often you're not, and if there was a way to be able to replicate that in an audio way and a long form storytelling way, then that would be cool. 

I've just started playing a little bit of D&D and I don't know if I'll ever get good at that, especially in terms of like, so I've got to come up with words. Oh my God. Whereas I will never watch a D&D playthrough for four hours on YouTube myself, personally, life choice, I can start to understand the appeal of that because there's an element of that spontaneity and playfulness, but in a group. So, if there was a way to do that with actually scripted drama, I'd be all in on that. That would be amazing. Or some kind of hybrid. So I don't know exactly what that is, but that kind of thing would be quite cool. 

F: That's what the BBC did with Cabin Pressure. I attended one live recording and it was just amazing. You have all the other actors [apart from Benedict Cumberbatch] that are household names. And to see them act and how little takes they actually need for the lines and everything is amazing.

CT: Yeah, there's an appreciation of the craft, but it's also the fact that it's not into a void. It's not like, okay, we've done three. Is that okay? We're onto the next. I think in many ways it can make the work much easier, because you're using your imagination, but in a different way, because you're operating with a stimulus. And that's always exciting.

F: And good D&D is just like improv theatre.

CT: Yeah, exactly.

F: Really good players are spontaneous. Just very creative.

CT: That should be celebrated and I think harnessing more of those kinds of things would be fun, because in all honesty, still probably about 60, 70 percent of the work that I do is in the corporate and business sphere. That's just because of how I sound. I didn't go out to court that work particularly, but in terms of the stuff that pays the bills regularly, that's the kind of stuff that I do. Even then, you're trying to find levels of playfulness or colour so that you're not just coming over with: “in a world where you can trust a big corporation to take your money.” So, there's any kind of nuance or subtlety to that, that will be a good thing. So that's the kind of stuff that I crave as a result.

F: Thank you for your time.

CT: Oh, my pleasure.

F: It went by so fast. We went over time; I still have a lot more questions.

CT: Oh, sorry.

F: No, no, no, no, no, no. That, that's, that's absolutely fine. Thank you.

[russogoob]

BYEAH! A Jerma985 Tank Top

Hi, this is my first ever piece of cc, some Jerma tank tops for Jermamite simmers! This is a re-texture of the base game punk tank top without the sheer undertop underneath.

I uploaded pics of these vests a week ago, and a few people wanted to download them. The only problem was that the original mesh I used wasn't mine, and it was packaged in with an NSFW mod... and I didn't want people to have to download an NSFW mod JUST to be able to download this vest......... so I spent my week learning how to make my own mesh (or in this case, alter an EA mesh) so I could put this out!

I realised over this past week that I really enjoy making my own cc and I wanna do it more often, so I made a Patreon page and a dedicated sims Tumblr to do so! Not sure what direction I wanna take my cc in and how often I'll upload, but I'll try and put more stuff out soon :]

Base Game Compatible

10 Swatches (5 White, 5 Black)

EA Mesh Edit

Admittedly maybe a bit rough around the edges as I'm only learning :0

DOWNLOAD LINKS

Patreon (FREE with no paywall)

SimsFileShare

Google Drive

TOU

Don't claim as your own, and don't put behind a paywall.

Also, please feel free to take screenshots and tag me @russogoob on Twitter, I'd love to see it! :D

[babiebom]

When You Fall (i)

A/N: My first full fic on this blog! Thank you to everyone who voted! I will try my hardest to write and upload quickly, though I am not going to promise anything seeing as I have a job interview this Friday that I'm writing this(already passed by the time this is uploaded) and if I get it I'll be working more often. Though again thank you for voting and I hope you enjoy! Also a bit of a warning, some things from the game are obviously changed to make sense irl, like instead of there just being seasons there are actual months!(pictures not mine.)

Next Masterlist

TW: death, self harm in the form of overworking, cursing, depression, negative thoughts, funerals. Etc just sad

Genres: angst, potential happy ending, romance, some fluff. Multichapter Fic

WC: 4k

You hear your name being called, the voice is quiet under the ringing of your ears.

"Y/N!"

You attempt to force your eyes to adjust on the person, head and neck snapping quickly to face towards them. "Huh"?

"I asked if you were going to be alright getting to the graveyard alone…?"

You nod, swallowing even though your mouth and throat were dry. The funeral home was almost empty now; only you, your aunt and uncle, and a few friends that knew both of your parents and/or grandfather. Standing up straighter, you try to fix your face subtly, trying to act as if you weren't out of it for the entire funeral. "Yeah…yeah, I'll be fine. I promise." You clear your throat and offer her a smile.

She hesitates, lips trembling before she slowly gives you a hug. "Your uncle and I are here for you".

"I know".

As the two leave, as well as the rest of the stragglers, it's only you left with the bodies of your parents and grandfather. A sour laugh leaves your lips, tears kissing the corners of your eyes as you drag your feet closer to their caskets. To keep from crying you clench your jaw and curl your lips inward, slowly becoming overwhelmed with the idea of never seeing any of these three people again. If you would've known this was going to happen, you would've visited more, called more. If you would've known…well it doesn't matter anymore because you didn't know, and now you can't do any of those things. 

Slowly and one by one you press a kiss to each of their foreheads, letting your own head rest on top of theirs for just a moment before moving on, hoping the warmth from you would cure the cold coming from them. You stayed there for so long the funeral director had to escort you out, reminding you that they needed to be buried. 

Slowly you got into your car, remembering that everyone was probably on their way or already waiting for you and the bodies to show up. They were all going to be buried in Pelican Town, the same place your father had grown up, the same place you spent your summers during your childhood. 

Entering Pelican Town, nothing had changed since your childhood, and that made everything worse. Things hadn't changed for the town, and yet it wasn't the same for you. Everything has changed for you. The only difference was a couple new headstones, the graveyard now housing your mother, father, and grandfather; though you had noticed the additions of some that weren't there when you had last been here. The mayor was standing next to the open graves, making your heart clench at the finality of it all; the second they were filled with dirt would mark the last time you ever got to see their faces. 

Instead of standing with the rest of the crowd, you stand off to the side, crying silently as you watch the mayor pray over their bodies before they get lowered into the ground. You have to fight yourself to keep from yelling out, knowing that making a scene, making this whole process longer would affect everyone around you. It’s the middle of winter after all, everyone probably wanted to hurry and get back to their regular lives. Swallowing harshley, you only step forward when it's time for all of the guests to throw some dirt on top of the caskets. 

“I love you,” you whisper into the air, clenching your eyes closed and tossing the dirt in. A soft thump is all you get in response, the dirt scattering over the caskets. Your mother and father are sharing a grave, and your grandfather was being buried with your grandmother, the two finally being reunited after a decade and some change of being apart. 

You move backwards again, allowing the others who had arrived to say their final goodbyes. Avoiding looking at what was happening, you focused on the scenery instead. Pelican Town had always been nice, and being covered by snow it was no different. Everything had sort of a Christmas-y vibe to it, but that only made you feel worse. Letting your eyes continue to roam, you spot some of the towns-people walking around, obviously trying to get a glimpse of what was happening. They were walking far too slow to actually be trying to get somewhere, or maybe the calmness of a small town allowed them to take it easy even when they had errands to run. Your eyes connect with a woman with orange hair, her eyes growing wide the second yours stopped on her. She hurried away as soon as she realized she had been caught watching, moving from the large tree that she was under to presumably hide somewhere else. You scoff and turn your head to watch someone else, not really offended but somewhat annoyed that the public can watch as your normal life is ripped away from you. Bitterly, you wondered when the last time this town had held a funeral, or had even had someone die. 

Everything looked peaceful, your presence disrupting the environment and if that woman with the orange hair was anything to go by, this funeral was something that shook the small town that probably knew your grandfather better than you did. You wonder why none of them showed up to the funeral or to this burial. Your thoughts are disrupted by everyone bustling around you, hands on your shoulders words spoken to you, you figure out that the burial is finished by the people moving around you back towards the way you came.

The second you fully realize that the burial had ended, you race out towards your car, not wanting to stop and talk to anyone, not wanting to cry on someone’s shoulders. You decide then that the best course of action would be to throw yourself into your work. So, without another glance back, you drive away from Pelican Town, hoping you would never have to return to the place again.

Scrunching up your nose and frowning, you slam the drawer to your desk harder than you need to, ignoring the sound of the contents inside spilling and moving around. The sound of typing overwhelms your senses, and unlike the persona you’ve put on for the past couple of months, you get up and stalk towards the bathrooms. As you pass the other cubicles, the oncoming anxiety attack immediately takes over your being. 

You push open the bathroom door, wheezing and trying to suck in as much breath as you can. Yet it still feels like you’re drowning, as if every breath you suck in is instead water, and it’s impossible for you to come up to the surface. You fall onto the sink, leaning over it and heaving. Your legs threatened to give out, not wanting to hold you up any longer. Giving in, you allow yourself to sink to the dirty bathroom floor, dragging yourself in between the sinks and the wall, the gross overhead light giving you a headache. 

Your body shakes, still struggling to breathe. As you close your eyes, flashes of the funeral and the last time you saw each of them alive consume you. The second your ears start to ring, you realize that you’re already too far gone, and any of your attempts to self soothe were now made in vain because you couldn’t calm down. You needed help, but at the same time that was the last thing that you wanted. You can feel yourself shake, violently, and your head falls back and forth as you shake, and in the madness you realize that someone was shaking you, it wasn’t you yourself. “Please!” you heard someone plead, yet they sounded too far away from you. 

You open your mouth to reply, but nothing comes out of it, you want them to go away, and to leave you spiraling here on the ground, and in the back of your cloudy mind you hope that you still get paid for having this breakdown during work hours. Joja Co. wouldn’t take away your wages for this, right? You’re shaken again, this time rougher and your eyes begin to focus on someone kneeling in front of you. The ugliness that was Joja blue assaulting your eyes. You groan, and as you feel yourself begin to surface, realize that you had been screaming. Your throat now raw and hoarse as you begin to calm. 

The woman in front of you is someone you recognize, though you couldn’t recall her name. You only knew her as your supervisor that you rarely actually saw in the office, and behind her were two coworkers looking absolutely frightened and worried for you. Swallowing, you shake your head and haul yourself off of the ground, muttering a ‘sorry’ and pushing your way out of the bathroom. It was painful, the walk back to your cubicle, everyone was simultaneously watching you, but still not really looking at you. As if they wanted to pretend that your breakdown didn’t happen, and you are all too aware of how insane you probably looked, coming out of the bathroom with puffy red eyes, and messed up hair. 

It wasn’t uncommon for someone to have a breakdown at work, the expectations of your superiors and the company itself were always too much for some people to handle, yet you realized that you probably looked different than them, having run all the way to the bathroom, and not out the doors to the elevators. After a breakdown, the person always quits, yet here you are, sitting silently in your cubicle, brushing your hair out of your face as if everything was normal. 

Again you open the drawer and look at the letter that had arrived on your desk weeks ago.

Dear, Y/N

If you’re reading this, you must be in dire need of a change.

The same thing happened to me, long ago.

I’d lost sight of what mattered most in life…real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong.

I’ve enclosed the deed to that place…my pride and joy: New Hope Farm. It’s located in Stardew Valley, on the southern coast. It’s the perfect place to start your new life.

This was my most precious gift of all, and now it’s yours. I know you’ll honor the family name, my grandchild.

Good luck.

Love, Grandpa.

P.S. If Lewis is still alive, say hi to the old guy for me, will ya?

Taking in a breath, you laugh quietly to yourself. Your face still wet from your tears. It was ridiculous, hilarious even, that the very place you wanted to return to ends up the very place you flee in order to get back to yourself. 

You can hear clacks of shoes nearing you, coming from the direction of the same bathroom you just fled from. The woman stops in front of the opening to your cubicle. Staring down at you in your seat with aggravated eyes. The lack of concern annoys you to your very core, and with the least amount of emotion you can muster, you stare back up at her, the letter wrinkled in your hand.

"Yes?"

"That little breakdown you had there was very disruptive," she shifts her weight, "now you're one of your best workers, so we'll give you another chance, but next time something this unprofessional happens we'll have to let you go."

"Right," you swallow harshly, "about that, I need to take time off."

"Time off? Why do you need to take time off?" She asks loudly. You can see the people across from you look over with wide eyes. Vacations were never accepted, and were more likely to be taken as an insult. 

"Well, half of my family has just died...and I don't think I have a good enough mental state to-"

"We gave you time off already, we let you go to the funeral and have an extended weekend. How much more time do you need?" 

You scoff in disbelief, the woman staring at you with all seriousness of a person who has just been told the worst joke in the world. Did she not just witness the breakdown you just had? You sit back roughly in your chair, running a hand through your hair. Your patience started to run thin with the woman, and so in a huff you slam down the letter rather roughly before looking back up at her.

"Can I take a vacation or not?"

She gasps before angling her body back, now glaring daggers at you. "I am the boss, you do what I say. You've already taken time off, so you don't need any more. I'm really very disappointed in you-"

"But-"

"-and I don't think you realize just how lucky you are to be working for Joja Corporation. There's no other job as liberating and rewarding than working for and growing the Joja family."

You make a noise of indignation, completely taken aback with how she had decided to handle this situation, especially after seeing you in the worst state you've ever been in. "You know what?" You slam your hand on your desk, letting out a huff of air through your nose, now staring at the place your hand had settled. "I quit!"

You turn to watch her face as your words sink in. She splutters and takes in breaths as she struggles to come up with something to say as a retort. Laughing loudly in her face, you stand and push past her, going straight towards the supply closet, where you know there are extra boxes. Picking up the smallest that could fit all of your things, you completely ignore your now ex-supervisors desperate pleas. "You have to put in a 2 week notice!"

"Nah, no I don't." You shake your head, now filling the box with all of your things. You'd rather die than leave any of your cute cubicle things behind for them to throw away. Smirking, you carefully place the last plant you had on top of the other knick knacks you had, looking over to the angry woman with the best shit eating grin you could muster.

"I would say it was a pleasure to work with you, but that would be a lie."

The time taken to get back to Pelican Town was doubled due to you selling your car and opting to take the bus instead, and in that time you started to rethink your plan of starting anew without any backup plan. Everyone else that was riding with you had gotten off long ago, and you were left with those who were just along for the ride, having nothing else to do but stay until they were kicked off. 

You were grateful for the emptiness though, no one spoke a word on the way there; they simply allowed you to exist among them, thinking your thoughts without interruption. 

You grunt in pain as you're launched out of your seat, suitcases toppling over loudly. Embarrassed, you scramble to get up, hoping no one was secretly laughing at you because it would honestly cause another breakdown. The bus driver shouted out your arrival, staring at you specifically through the rear view mirror. Sniffing, you grab your suitcases and hurry off of the bus, squinting from the change of lighting.

"Hello! You must be Y/N" an orange haired woman standing waiting at the bus stop, friendly looking and sweaty. "I'm Robin, the local carpenter. Mayor Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you the way to your new home. He's there now, tidying things up for your arrival."

You stare at her before taking her hand in a firm shake. She's pretty, and young looking but from the look at her hands she had to be older than you think. Her grip takes you off guard only slightly, rough calluses coming in contact with your own soft skin. You nod and grab your things again, wanting to get out from under the sun. There was a cool breeze cooling your skin, but just having been on a musty bus for the past couple of hours made you feel grosser than you normally would've. 

 "The farm's right over here, if you'll follow me" 

You want to tell her that you already know the way, that you've been here multiple times in your childhood, but you stay quiet not wanting to bring up memories that will just hurt you. You think staying silent is an even better idea when she takes two of your suitcases and heads down the road. 

Walking in silence is awkward for the first minute, and so you begin a conversation that you already regret happening the moment the first syllable leaves your mouth. "So," you swallow thickly, "how long have you been waiting out here?" 

She shakes her head and scrunches her nose. "Not long, maybe 15 minutes? First day of Spring is always brutal with the weather change."

You nod and keep walking, wanting to ask her more questions, yet you know that it would only serve to make everything more awkward. "Do you want something to drink? I have like a spare Gatorade if you're thirsty."

She makes a noise of acceptance and takes the drink from you, gulping it down quickly. The walk takes about 5 more minutes before you make it to a broken down fence.

"This is New Hope Farm."

You gasp loudly, a choked noise forcing its way out of your throat at the look of it. Grass overgrown, trees everywhere, boulders. It looked as if the place had been abandoned for years, and maybe it has been. Your grandfather must've been too old to continue the last couple of years, having been bedridden the months before his passing.  The air smells fresh, though, fresher than you've ever smelled it before, at least since you've grown up. A sense of calm settles over your being, just over the hurt and anxiety. At least you're okay for now. 

"What's the matter? Sure it's a bit overgrown, but there's some good soil underneath that mess! With a little dedication you'll have it cleaned up in no time." 

You smile at her as you open the gate for you both, entering the messy fields. It's another minute and a half before you actually make it to the farmhouse, "and here we are, your new home". 

You raise your eyebrows at the look of your grandfather's old cottage, it being slightly run down since you had seen it last. Your heart clenched at the sight, realizing that everything did in fact get old without you, or maybe alongside you. Taking in a deep breath, you jump as the door to the house opens loudly. A man, shortish and white haired leaves out of it. He looks slightly familiar, but obviously older. 

"Ah, the new farmer! Welcome I'm Lewis, Mayor of Pelican Town." You wait for him to descend the steps, stopping in front of you. You faintly remember him, with less whites in his head and a smaller mustache. His old hat on top of his head is the same from when you were little. You shake his hand, reminding him that you had met him before. 

"Ah, my apologies!"

You shake your head with a small smile, slowly getting tired of pleasantries. "It's fine I was like…maybe 9 the last time I saw you."

The conversation staggers a bit before Lewis sucks in a breath.

"You know, everyone's been asking about you. It's not every day that someone new moves in. It's quite a big deal!" He looks around, a flicker of sadness in his eyes causing you to wonder how close he and your grandfather were. 

"So...you're moving into your grandfather's old cottage. It's a good house…very 'rustic'." You raise an eyebrow at his words, it was obvious that the house had seen better days.

"Rustic? That's one way to put it. 'Crusty' might be a little more apt though." Robin remarks, looking around.

"Rude!" Lewis gasps, whirling around to stare at Robin in shock. You guess it's the fastest he's moved in a while because his hands grasp at his knees for a split second.

The woman lets out a laugh, slapping a hand over her lips in amusement. You let out a snort, silently agreeing with her.

"Don't listen to her, Y/N. She's just trying to make you dissatisfied so that you buy one of her house upgrades." Lewis says, sending the woman a glare. Robin, in turn, gasps in shock, her eyes darting between you two before frowning and huffing. Maybe she was trying to get you to buy an upgrade. 

"Anyway…you must be tired from the long journey. You should get some rest. Tomorrow you ought to explore the town a bit and introduce yourself. The townspeople would appreciate that." You nodded to him, but refused in your mind, not wanting to go parading around town introducing yourself to the villagers like some happy-go-lucky extroverted tv character. Lewis begins to leave, but stops a couple feet, maybe even a yard away. He has to yell in order to speak to you, and you sort of understand when you would rather not have to walk all the way back just to leave again. 

"Oh I almost forgot. If you have anything to sell just place it in this box here. I'll come by during the night to collect it. Well…good luck!" His voice is strained, when he shouts. You smile and wave, saying a goodbye to Robin as she walks after him. Turning to the cottage, you feel a sense of overwhelming sadness, your chest growing tight. You know that grieving is a process, and that healing isn’t a linear path, but a thought pops into your mind that this was a bad idea. How are you meant to process, heal, and move on when you’re surrounded by things that make you want to tear your hair out? Sighing, you head inside, setting your things down and snatching an axe off of the wall. 

You think to yourself that the healing can come later, preferably after you demolish the trees taking over the land, at least you’ll be able to see far enough to farm. Stepping back out into the sun, you get to work swinging the axe over your head as well as you can. The thump of the axe embedding itself into the tree sends vibrations up into your bones, yet the pain and unfamiliarity of the feeling makes you feel lighter than you had in weeks. Maybe you just had anger issues. But, chasing that feeling you swing again, and again, and again until both the tree and it’s stump has been reduced to logs that you could pick up. 

You leave the logs on the ground and move on to the next tree, and then the next, and you keep going until you can feel the sweat drip down your back, pooling around the edge of your jeans and your hips. Your breaths come in short, you huffing as you try to bring the axe overhead once more. Your chest is tight, and your head feels as if it’s not screwed all the way on. ‘One more time.’ You think to yourself, bringing the axe upwards. You can tell that the tree was close to being fully chopped down, and so with the last of your energy, you force yourself to at least complete it. Telling yourself that it was more about clearing everything quickly, you knew deep down that you just wanted to feel something other than sorrow. Your arms shake as the tool almost slips out of your grasp above your head. Arms burning, you force them forwards as you swing down, you hear the thump of the axe in the wood, and you fall over ears ringing, your vision fading to black.

[allari-ammayi]

When r u going to post another chapter of butta bomma?? I just read it and I'm hooked... If possible please add me to the taglist 🥺

Hii!! Of course, I'm so glad you enjoy my work!! I was actually kind of busy with school, but I'll try to upload a little more often since I'm back now! ALSO, WE'RE SO CLOSE TO THE EVENTS OF THE FIRST MOVIE!?! AHH, I'M SO EXCITED!!! (Also, this casually might be the best chapter I've ever written)

Butta Bomma

A. Bahubali x Reader x B. Deva

#8

The Language Barrier

Synopsis: In which several misunderstandings lead to Bahubali realising that Y/n clearly needs help with understanding the Mahismathi language, so being the chivalrous person he is, he offers Y/n to appoint a language tutor for her. When Y/n finds out who her language tutor is, her life falls downhill.

10.2k Words (Buckle in)

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It was a mahimahi afternoon like any other, and as usual, everyone was indoors, busy with duties or school, which meant no one had any time to entertain the dutiless Y/n. Y/n strolled through the palace courtyard, the warmth of the sun kissing her skin as she scanned her surroundings. 

A bored sigh escaped her lips as she searched for something, anything, to alleviate her boredom. Then, like a beacon of hope, the corner of her eye spotted something far too familiar to her. Something that had gotten her in quite the mischief and trouble with the elder prince of Mahismati. 

A fruit-laden tree standing proudly in the corner of the courtyard was practically singing temptations to Y/n, telling her to approach it. No one was around, though it didn’t matter even if they were, Y/n didn't mind.

It was Bhallaladeva who tortured her and Y/n couldn’t see him anywhere, which she confirmed with a smirk. Probably busy pouring his privilege over some poor servants, Y/n thought. 

With a mischievous glint in her eye, she swiftly tucked the end of her half-saree into her waist and began her ascent up the tree. 

As Y/n reached for the fruit, stepping onto a branch and grabbing another for support, Bhallaladeva happened to be passing by. Deep in thought, Bhalla was walking to his royal chambers on a higher floor, quite fast-paced, when he caught sight of Y/n perched in the tree. 

Bhalla was so lost in thought, that he had dismissed it as something normal, even though it was, but his mind quickly snapped back into place and he gasped before he did a lighting of a double-take. 

He backtracked and leaned over the balcony railing, dumbfounded by the sight before him. His brows furrowed at the girl who had the end of her tongue sticking out as she tried to reach some fruit, and he thought to himself, ‘What the hell is this monkey doing now?!’

"What in the world are you doing up there!?" Bhalla shouted down to her, his tone a mix of disbelief and concern.

Y/n shot her face up and startled by the sudden appearance of the one person who she hoped wouldn’t catch her like this, she nearly lost grip on the branch and balance on her foot for a moment, before regaining her posture. 

Bhalla's momentary panic prompted an instinctual reaction, his hand reaching out down towards, without him even realising it before quickly retracting. Bhalla was far too high to do anything. Bhalla’s eyes were wide and a relieved sigh escaped his lips, his fleeting sense of relief washed over him when Y/n steadied herself, but it was quickly replaced by irritation at her recklessness.

"For a monkey, you have horrible tree-climbing skills, you know!" he scowled, his frustration evident in his tone.

Y/n bristled at his insult, her own temper flaring in response. "It's none of your business what I'm doing up here!" she shot back, her voice tinged with defiance.

"What do you mean? I saw you climbing the tree like a lunatic!" Bhalla retorted, his frustration mounting at Y/n’s audacity, 

Y/n was confused by his anger. Not even Bhalla realised how frustrated he was. It hadn’t even occurred to him how worried he was for some fruit-obsessed monkey. 

Y/n glared up at him, “As I said, your royal snarkiness, none of your business!” Y/n sounded each of the last four words out and ended her retort with a bang. Bhalla could almost applaud her audacity. 

“Well, I’ll have you know, stranger from the ‘far land of Mexico’, As the elder Prince of Mahismathi, everything that happens within the kingdom’s walls is quite literally my business!” He shouted back down at her, gripping the railing of the balcony. 

Y/n ground her teeth in utter annoyance. Why did this prince have to constantly involve himself in everything Y/n-related!?

“Ugh!” Y/n exclaimed, balling her free hand into a fist, “This doesn’t even concern you, you nosy prince!” Bhalla was quite taken aback when he heard this. His brows furrowed and his lips parted. 

“Nosy?” Bhalla muttered to himself, “What the hell did she mean ‘Nosy’? Me - Nosy?” Bhalla rubbed his nose absent-mindedly, assuming Y/n had insulted his nose. Bhalla, confused, questioned for a moment whether Y/n’s monkey brain was causing her blindness.

“I think you’d be delighted to know Monkey, that I am considered, if not,” Bhalla shouted, “One of Mahismathi’s most handsome men with a perfectly sculpted nose!” Y/n looked at Bhalla like he was an idiot, a mild hint of confusion crossed her face at Bhalla’s strange response.

“What is this man-whore even on about?” She muttered to herself, Bhalla leaned down the balcony to signal to Y/n that he didn’t hear what she said, Confusion clouded Bhalla's features as he struggled to make sense of Y/n’s words.

“That’s great to know Your Highness, be sure to tell that to the next person you’re off to torture, however, it does nothing to help the situation at hand!” She shouted back, her throat starting to hurt with the shouting she had to do to keep the conversation.

“What?” Bhalla shouted,

“I said, you royal-!” Y/n, a little too passionate about what she was going to say, had paid no mind to which branch she grabbed, and rather than grabbing the one that would prevent her demise, Y/n put her weight onto the twig-like branch. 

“Hey-!” Bhalla tried to call out her stupid move, reaching his hand far out, but it was too late. The twig snapped with a horrifying sound and with Y/n putting her weight on it, her leg slipped. Bhalla’s heart practically stopped, his eyes were wide in horror and he was not breathing, but instead, staring in terror. 

But Y/n was a smart young girl, very capable of tree-climbing. Before she could fall to her potential death, her reflexes caused her to grab hold of the branch she had slipped from. 

Y/n was hanging for her life and with one quick swing, she was back on her feet, on the branch. Bhalla felt his heart alleviate as he placed a hand on his extremely fast-beating heart. His eyes closed in relief as a relieved sigh escaped him.

“As I was saying-” Y/n began, putting a finger up, but before she could say another word, Bhalla had silenced her with the look on his face. 

Y/n could feel his anger in the form of heat all the way down from where she was. Bhalla said nothing, but simply pointed down, instructing her to immediately get off the tree. Y/n frowned.

“What!? Why?” Y/n attempted to retort, but Bhalla was having none of it, his hands balled into fists and in a heavy authority manner, pointed to the sky and in a powerful voice said,

“As the elder prince of Mahismathi, I command you to step down now!” Y/n glared.

“No.” She spat, quietly like a stubborn child, but Bhalla heard exactly what she said. 

“Y/n of the far land of Mexico, I swear to god, the sky, the very earth of this kingdom which I will soon rule and all that is holy, if you don’t step down from the tree right now, I will do something that will make you regret having ever climbed that tree,” This sent a shiver through Y/n’s spine and she grinned.

“Oh yeah, What exactly is it you’ll do Your Highness?” She smirked. Bhalla expression of pure anger dissolved into a cruel and evil smirk, shivering Y/n to her bone. Bhalla’s smirk was dangerous.

“I’ll have this and every other mango tree in Mahishmati cut down immediately.” Bhalla said victoriously, “Fruits can be grown of course, outside of kingdom walls, where you’ll never be able to reach them.” 

Bhalla’s grin widened when Y/n gulped and immediately began her descent from the tree. He placed his elbows on the railing as he watched Y/n descend, his grin growing wider at the silly girl. When Y/n reached the ground, Bhalla smirked and began walking away without another word, except for one final warning, 

“And if you ever decide to climb another tree when there’s no one around, I hope you’re ready to bid goodbye to them all together!” He shouted loud enough for her to hear, not turning back and simply walking straight ahead. Y/n watched Bhalla’s retreating figure and glared, her brows furrowing and the frustration and heat in her body increased. As Bhalla left, Y/n stuck her tongue out at him and poked faces at him. Bhalla smiled to himself, knowing exactly what Y/n was doing, despite not even being able to see her. 

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

“Erm, that’s very interesting, Bahu, do tell more…” Y/n pathetically muttered. She and Gowri were on a walk when Y/n was noticed by Bahubali who had approached her for a chat. 

Their initial greetings and formalities quickly made way for Bahu's long talks about Mahimsathi’s politics. All it took was for Y/n to ask Bahu how he was doing, for him to say, tired, and for Y/n to ask, oh no, why so? 

That was all it took for Bahu to begin his long complex talk about Mahismati’s political structure and his duties as prince. Bahu was talking way too quickly, using words Y/n had never even heard of that surely didn’t exist where she came from, rambling about politics. 

“And of course, you’d know the grand chancellor, one of the few who stood by Queen Mother when she first ascended the throne. I’d assumed he would stand by the new act that stated the opposite of what we have been following as a kingdom for over sixty years, despite how horrible it was, but he instead stood against it. 

He claimed that it was practically a tradition, but what does he know, that old nut. I reckon he only stood by Queen Mother, fearing death.” Baahubali rambled, so fast, so quick, so complex, Y/n was lucky if she caught one or maybe even two words of what he was saying. She was simply laughing nervously and nodding, hoping that he wasn’t asking her any questions. 

“Haha, yeah, yeah, true that,” Y/n muttered, her jaw starting to hurt from the way she was smiling so widely. 

“But of course, you agree with me, the grand chancellor was even against keeping you here, stating you could’ve been a foreign imposter, trying to get into our secrets and then backstab us. But you’re lucky that no one stood by him on that one or they would’ve voted to have you killed. Took a lot of convincing but he relented to letting you stay, but you’re a lucky one, the majority was quite all right with you staying, but to be honest, they also thought you were some kind of holy angel sent by the gods to save you and to have you tried or to even suspect you of misdeed would be a horrible sin. It’s actually kind of funny, but you do of course look like angels so I wouldn’t blame them too much,” Bahu gave a little shy laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from Y/n, a slight pink tinge appearing on him. Y/n simply smiled and nodded.

‘Just smile and nod,’ Y/n thought, ‘Smile and nod.’ 

“And later today, you have a meeting with the council, your Highness, and following that-” As Y/n and Bahu were engaged in their conversation, a certain other royal happened to walk by them in the balcony opposite them. 

Bhalla, who had a dozen servants following behind him, informing him of his schedule for the day was walking close by. The servant struggled to keep up with Bhalla’s fast pace but when Bhalla noticed a certain mischief-maker from the corner of his eye, he looked in Y/n’s direction and found a monkey. 

He grinned, ready to throw a casual snarky remark her way when he noticed Bahubali and her engaged in a conversation. Bhalla grimaced but when he saw the awkward and nervous look on Y/n’s face and her obvious look of struggle, Bhalla raised an eyebrow, a look of mild confusion glazing over his features. 

At once, he raised a hand, signalling for the servants to keep quiet for a moment. The servants, instantly understanding, immediately shut up and stepped back when Bhalla motioned for them to leave with a wave of his hand. The servants immediately left after handing Bhalla a scroll of his lined-up events that he held his hand out for. 

Bhalla narrowed his eyes in an attempt to make out what was happening as he opened the scroll and held it up in front of his face to hide him from his brother’s and Y/n’s view. He occasionally took peeks from the side or the top of the scroll, attempting to unpuzzle the look on Y/n’s face. 

“But as I was saying, I’m starting to think it’s about time that the chancellor retired and spent time with his grandkids rather than trying to protect the ‘traditions’ of Mahismathi. But it’s good to know not a lot of people support him anymore. He used to have a whole horde of people who had his back, but, you know, as people age, they start to lose support. It’s normal, but of course, you would know all this, am I right, being from such a small kingdom that there’s barely any texts or information about ‘the far land of Mexico’? Speaking of which, I’d love to visit the far land of Mexico one of these days, it seems like a wonderful place if someone like you is from it. When do you reckon is the best time for me to go?” Bahu asked and Y/n smiled, laughed and nodded. 

“Ha ha… Yeah… Of course, yes…” Bahu raised an eyebrow.

“So…?” He asked, tilting his head, “Are you going to answer me or what?” He laughed. Y/n gulped, her worst fears came to life and he did ask a question. Y/n’s brows furrowed and her eyes ran across the room,

“Erm… That sounds very interesting, Bahu, I’m sure Mahismati politics are very tiring.” Y/n answered plainly like a machine, hoping her extremely plain and neutral tone somehow managed to answer Bahu’s question. Bahu’s confused look had instantly dissolved, only to be replaced by an understanding grin. 

Bahu had Y/n figured out. He’d suspected something like this from the start, but only now was his theory confirmed.

There had to be some kind of slight language barrier between him and Y/n. Between Y/n and Mahismathi. That’s why there had always been a slight struggle to help Y/n fit into Mahisamthi. How could she fit in if she didn’t even know how to fully communicate with others? 

Bhalla, who had been watching this whole situation unfold, also instantly understood Y/n’s situation. But rather than a caring grin appearing on his face like Bahu’s, a much more evil and cruel smirk began to form. 

Oh, he was going to have a blast. Bhalla sniggered to himself but when Y/n’s eyes flew over to where Bhalla stood, Bhalla shot to the side to hide himself behind a pillar. When Y/n looked back at a smiling Bahu, Bhalla turned back and with a plan in his head, left the two. 

Following Bhalla’s departure, Bahu, not wanting to stress the nervous Y/n out, moved the conversation to something she could easily talk to him about, making sure Y/n didn’t realise what he was doing. 

Bahu, like Bhalla, also had a plan in his mind. The only difference was, was that the elder prince planned to endlessly tease the poor girl about her language skills, while the younger planned to summon a literacy tutor for Y/n sometime. 

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

As Y/n did when she had nothing better to do, which was most of the time, she sat by the pond, cutting a mango for herself. She admired the pond’s surface and its fish, peace filling her up until she heard a certain agonising voice. 

“Quite the pond, eh, Monkey?” Y/n suppressed a groan but allowed herself to roll her eyes, her peaceful state instantly being replaced by one of annoyance.

“Yes, it’s definitely a pond, your snarkiness, 10 points for your observation skills,” Y/n muttered. Bhalla neared and leaned his shoulder against the large rock that Y/n sat by, as he folded his arms and slightly crossed his legs, standing.

“Quite truly I must say, this is probably one of the most stunning ponds on the palace grounds, truly serene and so beautifully formed, like the eye of a jewel, something like the art of work you would expect from a mastermind like Vishwakarma. Personally, I truly enjoy his works,” 

Y/n’s eyebrows furrowed. What was Bhalla talking about? Why was he talking like this? So fast and with words Y/n had never heard of. Bhalla, as Y/n had observed through her stay and from watching Bahubali movies, was a person who took his time to get his point across. 

“Tell me, stranger from ‘the far land of Mexico’, which of Vishwakarma’s works do you admire the most?” Bhalla grinned victoriously as Y/n stared at him, dumb-founded.

“W-What?” 

“Oh pardon my rudeness, I completely forgot to mention which Vishwakarma I was even conversing with you about. My tastes in architecture extend far beyond Mahismathi architects, to the points of heavenly ones, and when I mention Vishwakarma, I assure you, I meant the craftsman deity and the divine architect of the devas.” 

Y/n stared at him with a blank look. When Bhalla’s smirk grew, the realisation hit her like a meteor and she frowned. 

“Ha ha, very mature you snarkiness, mocking someone for simply not knowing a language.” Y/n rolled her eyes.

"Ah, the wit of a commoner. How refreshing.” Bhalla said, looking up at the sky, before looking back down at the girl, “Tell me, monkey, do you practice your sarcasm in front of the mirror every morning, or does it come naturally?"

"Why, thank you for noticing. I do take pride in my quick tongue. Can't say the same you would feel for your quick temper." She added, quietly. Bhalla gave a look of offence.

“Temper? I'll have you know, Monkey, I'm as cool as a cucumber compared to the hot-headed peasants I deal with on a daily basis."

"Oh, I'm sure. But let's not pretend you're not just a spoiled prince who's used to getting his way." She seethed.

"Spoiled?” Bhalla gave a hollow laugh, “Hardly. I've had to fight tooth and nail for everything I have. Can't say the same for someone who spends her days lounging by a pond, cutting mangoes." Y/n gaped at his audacity, her patience having run dry.

“Well, at least I'm not using my power to intimidate foreigners with my language. Can't say the same for you, can we?!” 

With that final bang, Y/n shot up from her spot, and gave one final annoyed glance to Bhalla, before storming away. Bhalla stared at her retreating figure and gave a soundless, light chuckle.

Blinded by her own fury, it didn’t take Y/n long before she bumped head-first into the younger prince. 

Bahubali caught her by the arm and gently helped her back onto her feet. 

“Oh, hi Bahu…” Y/n greeted awkwardly with a nervous chuckle. Bahu grinned.

“What seems to be the matter, Y/n you seem a lot more on on fire today than usual,” Bahu gave a light chuckle.

Y/n fidgeted with her half-sari and glanced around to make sure no one was around, before looking back up at him.

“You see, it's just that…” Y/n gulped, and Bahu leaned in closer, “I just have a bit of trouble with communication here. The way I spoke back in my time- I mean–! Back in my kingdom is pretty different to how people speak in Mahismathi.” Bahu nodded along, understandingly,

“I see,” He urged her to go on,

“And someone seems to have understood that, and now won’t stop mocking me for it,” Y/n said, annoyed at just the thought of Bhalla. Bahu smiled.

“I see Bhalla has also figured out your language barrier,” Bahu said, thoughtfully. Y/n went red in the face,

“You mean-!?”

“Well,” Bahu gave a sigh, “it’s not the most unobvious thing in the world. I actually only figured it out this morning.” Y/n, still red in the face, threw her face into her hands out of embarrassment. “Oh, Y/n,” Bahu gave her a calming rub on her back,

Y/n looked up at Bahu,

“How about I arrange a language tutor for you?” Bahu suggested, and Y/n’s eyes went wide. She remembered her etiquette tutor that Bhalla had arranged for her and she shook her head like her world depended on it, her eyebrows furrowed. 

“Respectfully, absolutely not.” Y/n said, adamant. 

Bahu’s eyes softened, “I promise I’ll pick out someone who’s truly willing to get on level with you.” He said sweetly looking down at Y/n with such caring eyes that made her swear she could have swooned. Bahu’s eyes brought her way back to when she watched Varsham for the first time.

Y/n gave a nervous and hollow chuckle, “A-Alright, Bahu, if you say so.” As much as she tried to avoid eye contact with the Prince, she simply could not look away from his eyes. The same eyes that had all the ladies in the nation in a chokehold for almost two decades.

“Brilliant, I’ll have someone- top of the class- picked out for you, and you can begin your tutoring as soon as this weekend!” He announced joyously.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

"Ah, if it isn't the wandering scholar from 'Mexico.' How fares your study of our culture, Monkey?" Y/n spun around on her heel to face the one person whom she was most delighted to meet. 

"Quite well, your royal snarkiness. I've learned a lot, especially about how not to treat people." Y/n said, her voice flowing with glee over the aspect that soon, she would start attending language classes and eventually wouldn’t be the object of Bhalla's ridicule.

"Oh, delightful. In that case, allow me to expand your knowledge further.” Bhalla grinned, "Indeed, one must ponder the intricate complexities and unparalleled magnificence of this realm’s architectural splendour, meticulously crafted by hands of exceptional prowess and minds of unparalleled brilliance. Perchance, your intellectual faculties may find themselves inadequate in grasping such sublime intricacies."

Y/n narrowed her eyes in frustration, "Are you serious? Again with the fast-talking? Very mature, Bhalla."

“What's the matter? I thought you were here to learn. Surely a scholar like you can keep up." He smirked, clearly enjoying himself.

Y/n groaned, "I'm here to learn, not to decipher your verbal puzzles. But I suppose that's too much to expect from someone who takes pleasure in mocking others."

Bhalla smiled, mockingly, "Mocking? Oh no, this is merely a lesson. Think of it as... advanced study."

Y/n narrowed her eyes in mock confusion, "Advanced study? More like a desperate attempt to show off. What's wrong, Bhalla? Need to feel superior to someone?"

"Superior? Hardly. Just demonstrating the vast chasm between our respective eruditions. But don’t worry, Monkey, you’ll bridge it. Eventually."

"The only chasm here is the one in your manners. But I suppose that's too much to ask from a prince who's used to getting his way."

"Ah, so quick with the barbs. Maybe there's hope for you yet. But tell me, how does it feel to be out of your depth?" Bhalla leaned down a little to get on level and face to face with Y/n, who narrowed her eyes,

“Out of my depth? Please. I've handled more complex things than your inflated ego."

"Ego? It’s not ego if it’s justified. But I understand if it's hard for you to grasp that, given your… limited experience." Bhalla said with a tone of judginess, eying Y/n up and down.

"Limited experience? Says the man who’s spent his life behind palace walls. Try stepping out into the real world for a change."

"The real world? I’ve seen more of it than you ever will, Monkey. But don’t worry, I’m sure your books will keep you company." Bhalla said pathetically, in a pitiful tone, riling Y/n up even more.

"Better books than the company of a conceited prince. At least books don't talk back with meaningless drivel."

"Meaningless drivel? Perhaps to you. To those who understand, it's wisdom. But you’ll get there. One day."

"I’ll pass, thanks. I prefer my wisdom to come without the side of arrogance." She said with a huff.

"Call it confidence. But I forget, you're not used to dealing with people of my stature."

"And you're not used to dealing with people who see through your facade. But don't worry, I’ll be here to remind you." Y/n gave a caring smile, dripping with sarcasm.

"I look forward to it, Monkey. Your attempts at wit are... entertaining if nothing else."

"Glad to be of service, your royal snarkiness. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have better things to do than waste my time with a pompous prince." Before Y/n could leave, she turned to face Bhalla one last time, the enthusiasm back in her eyes, “Besides, your royal snarkiness, I suggest you enjoy mocking my tongue while it lasts.” Yn/ said victoriously, before leaving. Bhalla stared at her, confusion gripping him.

“What?” He asked himself, “Monkey! Get back here at once and explain what you mean!” He shouted, but Y/n, too far to care, went her way.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

“Ah, Bhalla, there you are,” Bahu called to his cousin, Bhalla, who had arrived at the training area, following his confused exchange with Y/n.

“Bahubali.” Bhalla greeted, his mind still straying to the thought of what Y/n might’ve meant.

“I see you’re a bit distracted today,” Bahubali questioned when the duo began their swordplay. Bhalla wasn’t as sharp that day, his moves were slower, and he was clearly distracted by something. 

“Oh, yes, I suppose so,” Bhalla said, looking over at Y/n in the distance who was happily chatting away with her friends while eating fruit. 

“Care to share why, Your Highness?” Bahubali asked with a grin, as he let out a groan, successfully hitting Bhalla’s sword to the point of his defeat.

Bhalla picked up his sword and stepped towards Bahubali, who listened kenly,

“Do you know what’s going on with that monkey today?” Bhalla asked, directing his gaze towards the bubbly Y/n. Bahubali followed Bhalla’s gaze until his eyes landed on Y/n. 

“Oh, Y/n.” Bahu said, 

“Yeah- That- That girl. Y/n monkey or l/n or whatever. Do you what’s gotten into her today?” Bhalla asked, his patience a little more dry than usual. Bauhbali looked at Bhalla, smiling,

“Ah, I see she’s mentioned it to you. She’s definitely a little more happy today because of it, huh?” Bhalla’s eyes shot to Bahu as they returned to their sparring positions, starting another round of swordplay.

“Mentioned what?” Bhalla asked, his usual sparing skills faltering.

“I’ve arranged a literature tutor for her, to help her learn our language better after I saw how distressed she was at not being able to fit in.” With what Bahu said, Bhalla’s sword move failed, causing Bahu to effortlessly win another round.

“What??” Bhalla narrowed his eyes in confusion.

At the very lowest pit of Bhalla’s stomach, a weird feeling began brewing. A strange feeling, that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Perhaps it was frustration, Bhalla thought. But why? He doesn’t know. 

Why was he feeling frustrated that Bahubali had arranged Y/n's language tutoring lesson without him knowing and that Y/n seemingly was able to confide in Bahu about her troubles and not Bhalla when in reality none of this concerned him and it was none of his business? Especially when considering that Bhalla tended to be the root of most of Y/n’s problems. 

But Bhalla still felt frustrated. He didn’t even know why. 

Any normal person could have immediately figured out that it could even possibly be... Slight jealousy? But Bhalla was not a normal person. 

Was he frustrated that Y/n felt she could confide about her language issues in Bahu and not him? And how she seemingly instantly accepted help when Bahu offered and how Bahu took it upon himself to offer her the classes.

Bhalla, overcome with this unknown emotion, looked back at Bahu and said, “That monkey doesn’t need a tutor,” 

Bhalla didn’t even know why he was interfering in this matter, which didn’t even affect him. But he couldn’t help it. Bahubali’s eyebrows furrowed lightly.

“What’s wrong bhalla?” Bahu asked, “Besides, how will Y/n ever blend in if she doesn’t even speak the tongue?”

Bhalla, in a fit of ‘frustration’ and impatience, proceeded to say something so impulsively, that it hadn’t even registered in his head.

“Whatever, I’ll take it upon myself to teach her, alright!?”

Bhalla hadn’t even realised what he said till a smile grew on Bahubali’s face.

“Even better. I promised Y/n I would get her someone who could get on level with her.” Bahubali said, “If you will excuse me, brother, I must go and inform the tutor that he need not teach Y/n anymore.”

As Bhalla observed Bau’s leaving figure, he finally understood what he said, his eyes wide. 

‘Oh my god, what the hell did I just do’ Bhalla thought, face-palming.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

And so, for the week that followed, Y/n wasted not a single chance to flaunt to Bhalla that soon, she would also be on his level in terms of language. Her lessons were the only thing she could think about as her brain overflowed his excitement and anticipation. 

Bhalla on the other hand, didn’t know whether to laugh or sob, because only he and Bahu knew that he was the ill-fated person to teach Y/n the ways of the Mahismathi tongue. 

Y/n, however, had no clue who her teacher was. Bahubali, during another encounter with Y/n, did mention to her that someone else had volunteered to tutor her. Someone very highly prestigious and even overqualified. The news filled Y/n with so much joy that she wrapped her arms around Bahubali, giving him a very sweet goodbye as he left on a mission that Sivagami assigned him to.

Y/n was overjoyed and didn't shy away from any opportunity to rub it into Bhalla’s face, unknown to her that this ‘Overqualified, and highly prestigious’ person was the last person she wanted to see.

So on the fated day of Y/n’s first class, she excitedly hopped to the grand palace library.

The library, usually full of hustle and bustle with scholars and such running around, being pitch quiet should’ve been her first red sign. But Y/n went on, her determination unmatched. She tip-toed inside the empty library and ventured far deep in, hoping to find her tutor. Y/n looked around the empty and somewhat eerie library when she felt something smack her on the back of her head from behind. 

“Ow!” Y/n turned around, and when she did, she wished she hadn’t. There stood, the last person she wanted to see. 

Bhallaladeva. The elder son of the queen of Mahismathi Sivagami Devi, and the only son of Bijjaladevi. 

Y/n’s eyes went wide when she saw Bhallaladeva stand there, unpleasantly grumpy as he crossed his arms.

“What’re you doing here?” She bitterly spat, 

Bhallaladeva eyed her, “This happens to be my family library, so I could dance here if I wanted to.” He said, just as bitterly. 

Y/n, sensing the oncoming verbal sparring between her and Bhalla, quickly dismissed him, not wanting to waste her time, “Whatever, your snarkiness, I have better things to be doing right now like finding my tutor,” She said, grumpily.

Before she could huff and stomp away, Bhallaladeva, in a dead and annoyed voice said,

“The tragic fate of being your tutor, monkey, is unfortunately my own.”

“What??” Y/n turned around, her eyes narrowing in both confusion and annoyance at Bhalla’s use of the ancient tongue.

“Oh right, you’re an idiot.” Bhalla said, “What I meant to say, monkey, is that the unlucky man who’s your tutor? That’s me.”

Y/n’s mouth fell open at once and all that dread she couldn’t even comprehend came flooding back.

“WHAT!?” She screamed at once, her mind too occupied to give any mind to being quiet. Bhalla stared at her, unimpressed, “You’re the over-qualified, prestigious, highly-exclusive volunteer who never gives anyone lessons?” Bhalla sighed,

“Well, what do you expect? I’m the elder prince for goodness sake. I received the highest quality of education and clearly, one on this planet is boss enough to be tutored by the prince.” He said, before eyeing the furious Y/n with boredom, “Well, clearly except you of course. Congratulations, monkey, how do you feel, being the first person ever to have the prince spend his precious hours teaching you language?” 

“It feels bloody awful!” Y/n seethed, her anger now replacing her excitement.

“Same here,” Bhalla said quietly, annoyed. Y/n spun on her heel at once and headed back to the front of the library, “Oi monkey, where’re you going??”

Y/n spun back to face Bhalla briefly, “If you must know, I’m going to visit Bahubali, and tell him that I will NOT have you as my tutor and that I’d be willing to be tutored by literally any other living being in this kingdom than you!” She shouted.

Bhalla grimaced, “I expect you’ll have some trouble with that considering now that Bahubali has been sent on a quest to a different region,” Y/n’s frown fell and she remembered Bahubali telling her about his mission.

“So what does that mean,” Y/n said in a breathless voice.

“That, monkey, means either you wait a month for him to return, which you clearly seem incapable of, or you’re stuck with me for two weeks,” Bhalla said, almost somewhat enjoying Y/n’s suffering.

Y/n rolled her eyes and groaned, “Please just end my misery,” she said pathetically as she smacked her forehead, walking towards a table near the back of the library.

Bhalla grinned as he watched her go, “This’ll be fun.”

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

And so began Y/n’s lessons with Bhallaladeva. To say Bhalla was a strict teacher was a heavy understatement. Bhalla’s teaching methods made Y/n’s old etiquette teacher look easygoing. Bhalla forced Y/n to be up and at it by four in the morning, and only let her go to bed at eleven, under the condition that she had finished her work. The only breaks she would receive were thirty minutes every three hours, and breakfast, lunch and dinner were all also served in the library. 

Bhalla always spoke too fast and preferred to teach by pacing around with a textbook in one hand and the other hand behind his back, often causing Y/n to not understand a single thing, resulting in her struggling to focus and badly failing every simple assignment. 

Yes, Bhala always did get on Y/n’s bad side but this was a whole new level. Y/n had never seen such a strict and focused side to Bhalla unless he was training. Yes, that’s what he reminded her of. Him when he was training. He was so concentrated and fast, that at some point Y/n simply gave up. 

Near the end of the first week of their lessons, following Y/n’s silent defeat in making an attempt to understand anything, the severe lack of sleep finally caught up to her. 

As usual, Bhalla walked back and forth, reading from a textbook as he lectured Y/n- except that’s what he thought was happening. Y/n, however, had long gone asleep. Y/n’s only justifications were that:

a.) Bhallaladeva was insane

b.) Sleeping for only four to five hours a night for a week ought to make anyone fall asleep mid-day

c.) Bhallaladeva was insane

d.) Her tutor didn’t even teach properly.

e.) Bhallaladeva was insane

f.) Having nothing truly stimulating was of course going to make her fall asleep.

Also, Bhallaladeva was insane.

But Y/n was a smart girl, if she was going to break rules and casually fall asleep in class, she had to do it the right way. She positioned herself in a perfect form that made her look like she was crouched over writing when in reality she was fast asleep. 

Bhallaladeva, who was too busy reading off of scrolls, hadn’t noticed for the first thirty minutes of Y/n falling asleep, but when almost an hour had passed, and Y/n made no effort to make any snarky remark, sarcastic sentence or a single annoyed groan, Bhalla grew suspicious.

“I’m surprised you’ve been able to go an hour without a single jab, monkey. Impressive.” Bhalla said, standing in front of Y/n, authoritatively. When Y/n failed to respond, owing to the fact that she was strolling somewhere in dreamland, Bhalla raised an eyebrow.

“Really? No sarcastic retort?” He questioned her, but when Y/n kept her potion the same, Bhalla felt something was off, “What’re you even writing with that amount of focus, I’m not even saying anything relevant for you to write?” 

Again, no response from Y/n. Bhalla’s brows furrowed and he used a rolled-up scroll to poke Y/n’s head. When nothing happened, he pushed a bit of her hair off her face and tucked it in behind her hair, and what he saw made his eyes go wide with shock.

That little monkey was asleep.

As annoyed as Bhalla was at her audacity, he couldn’t help a little smile that grew on his lips. Y/n’s face was so calm and serene, not many times before had he seen her face like that. Generally, when he did, it was because she hadn’t seen him. The only expressions Bhalla saw on Y/n when they talked were either annoyance or outright rage, but to be fair, he was the one who kept provoking the girl. It was a weird joy if you could call it even that. If even Bhalla knew why he kept poking and prodding her every day. Was it to get a reaction out of her? Perhaps because she was the only one who gave him that type of reaction. No one else in the kingdom would be daring enough to treat Bhalla the way Y/n treated him. 

Her breathing was so serene and her facial features were that of a rabbit. Bhalla’s finger, which was still behind Y/n’s ear from when he tucked her hair back, slid down her cheek slightly.

She sure had soft skin. Very… Very pretty. 

Bhalla smiled softly, without realising it. He was lost in the trance of Y/n’s sleeping face but was instantly brought back to earth with the flicker of a candle. Bhalla shot up straight and looked around, giving an awkward cough. He gulped and looked back at Y/n, a frown forming on his face.

Now what to do with this sleeping monkey? 

Bhall grinned, before reaching down to Y/n’s level. His lips hovered over her ear before he let out the scream of an army general entering battle.

“FIRE!!”

Y/n’s entire figure shook awake at once, startled. 

“FIRE!?” Her eyes were wide and she was covered in a cold sweat, her eyes prancing around, looking for the fire. When she failed to see a fire, she looked back at Bhalla, who had his arms crossed with a menacing look on his face, standing in front of her.

“Had a nice nap in the middle of my lecture, Monkey?” Bhalla said, sourly, “You know, many would kill to have the elder prince of Mahismathi give them free private literature lessons.” He said, narrowing his eyes at the girl who was trying to regain her breath.

Y/n looked back up at him, her eyes narrowed with annoyance leaking out of her every pore. 

Bhalla observed her face, the serenity he saw earlier was gone, replaced by the Y/n he constantly picked catfights with. 

“You say ‘elder prince of Mahismathi’ quite often, your royal snarkiness but you don’t seem to be showing it in actions, anywhere.” She spat,

"Is that so? Perhaps you’re too distracted by your penchant for daydreaming to notice my brilliance." Bhalla gloated,

Y/n stared at his audacity, "Brilliance? More like tediousness. Your lectures could put a hyperactive child to sleep."

"Ah, I see. The problem lies with my teaching style, not with the inattentive student who can’t keep her eyes open." Bhalla retorted,

"Maybe if you made your lessons half as interesting as you make your insults, I’d stay awake." Y/n jabbed back, her anger at Bhalla for the past week starting to rise up.

"Perhaps if you spent more time studying and less time devising retorts, you might actually learn something," Bhalla said with a roll of his eyes,

"Studying what? Your inflated ego?” Y/n said with narrowed eyes, and mock curiosity, “Sorry, I’m not interested in that subject."

"Inflated ego?” Bhalla said with a hollow laugh at Y/n’s audacity, “Coming from the girl who thinks she’s too good to have the prince as her tutor? That’s rich."

"I never asked for a prince.” Y/n seethed, “Especially not one who seems to enjoy tormenting his students."

"Torment? I’m merely trying to instil some discipline. Something you clearly lack."

"Discipline? More like sadism.” Y/n frowned, “Face it, Bhalla, you’re just taking pleasure in making my life difficult."

“And you, Monkey, are taking pleasure in defying me at every turn.” Bhalla said, “It’s almost endearing."

"You know what, you snarkiness, maybe the problem isn't with me at all.” Y/n stood up, her voice raising, “Maybe you're just a terrible teacher."

It was no longer harmless banter between the two. Tensions were rising neither of them was kidding around anymore.

"Oh really? And what would you know about teaching? You can barely keep your eyes open, let alone absorb any knowledge," Bhalla retorted, offended.

"Maybe if you weren't so full of yourself, I'd actually learn something!" Y/n said, leaning in.

"Full of myself? You think this is about me? It's about your lack of focus, your inability to grasp even the simplest concepts!" Bhalla said, frowning, also leaning in.

"I am focused!” Y/n admitted, “But it's hard to learn when all you do is belittle me!" 

"Belittle you? I'm trying to make you see how far behind you are! There are children who can do things you can't even comprehend!"

Y/n showed a tiny glint of hurt in her eyes, “That's not fair, Bhalla. I’m trying my best!" Her voice trembled with anger and hurt.

Bhalla’s voice raised till he was shouting, "Your best? Your best is pathetic! You’ll never succeed at this rate! You lack, focus, interest, determination, and brain, and at this very rate, you show no progress to achieve anything! I've wasted so many hours on you, watering the plant in your head so vigilantly, yet it shows no sign of growth!" His voice echoed through the library, instantly silencing Y/n, who stood there, too shocked for words.

Y/n stood there and stared at him with wide eyes, full of hurt and anger mixing in her expression as the silence filled the library. 

“Maybe the plant doesn’t grow because the soil is poisoned by your cruelty.” Y/n managed to say, in a quiet and trembling voice, as a tear dropped from her eye.

Y/n gathered her things at once and stormed out of the library as Bhallaladeva’s face contorted with a mix of slight regret and stubbornness, but he remained silent. 

He watched the girl race out of the library, the sound of her anklets echoing throughout the library, leaving an uneasy silence in her wake.

In a fit of humiliation, and dejectedness, Y/n ran to the one spot that gave her true peace.

The secluded pond. 

The afternoon sun was practically burning her skin off, but Y/n paid no mind, seeking shade under the oversized banana leaf that hung high over her usual sitting place.

She sat there, watching the ripples on the surface of the usually peaceful pond. The ripples practically reflected the inner turmoil she felt in her own heart. 

Silent, fat tears, dropped from her eyes, one by one as Y/n hugged her knees, leaning her shoulder against the giant rock that sat beside her. She cried softly, sniffling occasionally, watching as the tears that fell from her eyes created more ripples in the pond. 

The sun soon began to set, and the blue sky turned pink, but Y/n remained the same. 

She knew Bhalla was cruel, but she didn’t expect that he would have said something like that. She should have expected it, but she didn’t. Why? 

Soon, her tears came to an end when a wave of tiredness washed over her and her eyelids began to shut, feeling too heavy to keep them open. 

As the sun began to set in, so did Bhalla’s nervousness.

For as long as Y/n had been sitting by the pond, letting her tears soak into the water, Bhalla had been locked in his chamber, ordering no one to enter. Once the doors to his chambers shut, his frown dissolved and a smirk grew on his lips. 

He hummed a tune to himself as he made his way to his balcony. 

"This ought to help her." He said to himself with a grin, referring to his ‘outburst’ earlier. It hadn't yet occurred to Bhalla that using a strong Mahismathi military motivation tactic designed your emotionless old men on a young girl, foreign to Mahismatic and full of emotion, simply trying to learn a language might not have been the best idea. 

It worked wonders on the training grounds, so surely it ought to work just as well with her. Right? Bhalla's initial delight came to an all too sudden halt at that thought. It would work, right? 

And so, as Bhalla relaxed and laid back on his grand armchair on the balcony, munching away on an apple, he was once again in deep thought, a slight sense of doubt and nervousness began to grow at the deepest pit of his heart and brain. 

As the sun began setting, the initially slight sense of doubt and nervousness grew, eating him away, till he was back up on his feet, frantically pacing around his room, biting at his fingernails in tension. 

Bhalla was acting very strange and unlike himself. The elder prince of Mahismati who was known for his composure and having the ability to not tense over problems was now pacing back and forth around his room, biting his nails in worry about a simple girl. 

Something Bhalla would have never done if Y/n had never appeared. 

Perhaps…

Perhaps something was changing…? 

‘Did I do too much?’ Bhalla asked himself 'Did she get upset?’

Only now, Bhalla realised that his tactic might’ve done the opposite of what he meant it

to do.

After wrecking his brain for much longer than he would’ve wanted to, Bhalla came to a conclusion to check up on Y/n. 

His ego wouldn’t allow him to admit he cared, he simply wanted to check up on her and make sure she hadn’t done something stupid like running away from anger, but even if she did, Bhalla didn’t care, he was a strong prince!  (Maybe he cared just a bit…)

Just as Bhalla threw open the doors to his chamber to leave and find Y/n, there stood at his doorstep, three royal servants, holding a large platter of fruit for Bhalla. Before Bhalla could dismiss them and tell them he didn’t want any, an idea struck his head. 

He observed the glossy shine of the freshly plucked fruits with great care. Bhalla grinned slightly. Bhalla thought of the countless amount of times that Y/n had gotten herself into silly situations for them. 

He silently signalled the servants to follow him with the fruit platter with a wave of his hand. Starting from the first atom of the palace to the last, Bhalla looked everywhere for Y/n, searching every inch of the grounds for the girl, and yet, she was nowhere to be found. 

Bhalla felt a pang of terror, thinking his silly little assumption that Y/n could’ve run away earlier was true. Even if it was, Bhalla didn’t know why he felt this way, horrified at what could happen to her. 

But his terror came to a quick end when he felt the wind Russell the trees above, singing a song of lure for Bhalla. 

The pond. 

Of course, it was the first place he should’ve looked for her. Bhalla made his way to the pond and when he got close, he noticed the hunched-over figure of the young girl, sitting on the edge of the pond, leaning side-ways against a big rock. 

Bhalla smiled slightly. She was still here, within the palace walls, where he could see her. 

Bhalla didn’t look back at the servants and instead silently ordered them to leave with another wave of his hand. The servants obeyed, they placed the platter onto the grass, bowed, and left. 

Bhalla crossed his arms behind his back and stepped towards Y/n. As he neared her, he saw her form more clearly, she was shivering out of her wits, the cold night hair clearly taking a toll on her. 

When he was only three steps away from Y/n, his foot landed on a twig, and with a sharp snap, instantly alarmed the sleeping Y/n, who awoke at once, startled. 

Y/n looked at the surface of the pond, the rippling surface calming down to reveal the figure of Bhallaladeva’s reflection on the water. She buried her face into her knees and sniffled. 

Bhalla’s eyes softened and he took a prompt seat next to Y/n. 

Day by day, Bhalla was going stranger. He even went as far as to lower himself to the level of a stranger, someone who was practically nothing against him. He paid absolutely no mind to getting his expensive fabric dirty because all that was on his mind was the girl. 

Bhalla was silent for a second, unsure of what to say, when he decided to first help her get warm. He removed the detached draped part of his dhoti that covered his chest and awkwardly laid it over Y/n’s shivering body, revealing his upper body to the cold. 

“Were you crying?” Bhalla asked after another moment of silence. Y/n quickly sniffled and wiped away her tears as a fresh batch was on the verge of leaking out. She frantically shook her head,

“No, of course not.” Y/n said, in what she hoped was not her crying voice, “I don’t cry just by getting yelled at by some- some- some - random… prince… guy… person, who can’t even teach well.” Y/n said, stuttering and sniffling. 

Bhalla’s eyes grew soft and a tiny smile tugged at the end of his lips. Somewhere, deep within his heart, a place he didn’t even know existed, a tiny part of it found Y/n in this state to be kind of cute. 

The way she had clearly been sobbing her eyes out but refused to admit it. It was cute. Y/n sniffled and shuffled away from Bhalla, pushing her body further against the giant rock. Bhalla was not one to back down. When Y/n shuffled away, he shuffled close to her. 

It took him an awkward minute to figure out what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it. That’s right. What did he want to say? Why was he even here rather than simply letting her die her death? 

“Listen, I really didn’t mean to make you so upset, it’s just a thing we do in training, we yell at the trainees to help them and make them better, to encourage them to keep going. I just- I just assumed it would work for you as well. I really didn’t mean to make you upset. I just wanted to help you get better.” 

In a moment of weakness, all that he wanted to say, accidentally slipped out from his mouth. Bhalla had no time to think about what he had just said, before Y/n spun her head around, so fast that it surprised even him for a second. Y/n looked at him with rage.

“so you couldn’t tell the difference between an emotionless middle-aged meat shield and a young girl who isn’t even from here!?” Y/n yelled.

Bhalla opened his mouth to say something, perhaps a snarky remark or a justification, but nothing came out. Bhallaladeva was speechless. 

Lost for his words. Instead, the corner of his eye caught sight of the massive fruit platter that the servants had broken their backs to help him carry around the entire palace. 

Bhalla reached for a mango from the platter and tossed it to his other hand where he displayed it in front of Y/n’s face. Y/n gasped, her mouth already starting to water and the twinkle returning to her eyes, making Bhalla grin. 

“A little birdy told me,” Bhalla said, “That monkeys love fruits and are willing to forgive their tutors for yelling at them in exchange for some royal quality mangos? Freshly plucked, might I add?” Y/n smiled a little and looked at Bhalla to urge her to take the mango. 

She took the mango into her hands,

“Alright fine,” Y/n muttered, her features softened and she looked down at her mango, “I’m sorry as well,” She admitted, looking back up at Bhalla with glossy eyes, “I just didn’t have enough focus or determination. I promise I’ll start doing better.”  

Y/n peeled her mango and began eating away at it.

Bhalla looked at Y/n, admiring her ability to admit her fault when in reality, it was never her fault. It was Bhalla. He didn’t understand Y/n enough to be able to teach her properly. 

He forced her into military training-type lessons and expected her to learn. A massive wave of guilt washed over Bhalla as he watched Y/n happily eat. 

Y/n, noticing the grim look on Bhalla's face, smiled and reached for some fruit, offering some of his own fruit to him. Y/n held her hand out with the fruit, but what came next, was something she never expected. 

Bhalla, not tearing his eyes from Y/n’s took the fruit out of her hand, put it aside and instead, took a hold of her hand. He held her hand with both of his and looked Y/n straight in the eyes. 

“Y/n,” Bhalla said, his voice filled with sincerity, so much so that it amazed Y/n a little, even the fact that he called her by her name. 

Now that Y/n thought about it, this was the first time he had ever called her by her name. Y/n’s name felt nice on Bhalla’s tongue. It felt sweeter than anything he’d ever tasted before, 

“I’m truly, really sorry. I promise- the fault is all mine. I still remember the amount of determination and excitement to learn you had when you first started lessons, and I- with my military tactics practically crushed all of it. 

It was my fault. For a student to excel, it is first and foremost the teacher’s job to understand the student. 

I failed to do that. But I never meant to hurt you. I know we have our fair share of differences, but I… I want you to know that I wouldn’t even dream of hurting you in such a way. And I promise I’ll do much better to teach you from now onwards. Please forgive me…”

There was silence between the two. The wind rustling the leaves above them was the only sound as they stared into each others’ eyes. Y/n’s brows furrowed ever so slightly at the sincerity in Bhalla’s voice. Y/n was completely taken aback. 

This was the last thing she expected from someone like Bhalla. 

She wasn’t expecting Bhallaladeva, the older prince of Mahimathi, the future tyrant, murderer of his mother and brother, and the person who tortures Devasena and tries to kill his brother’s son to do something like that.

That someone like him would apologise to such a simple girl from the bottom of his heart. 

To get on her level to feel such emotion. 

“Alright, enough with the heart-to-hearts Bhalla, you’re starting to freak me out,” Y/n said quickly, breaking the silence with a nervous chuckle, “Now take some fruit and admire the pond.” 

Bhalla smiled and shuffled closer to Y/n, taking the fruit he had put aside. The two admired the still pond for a moment before Y/n asked,

“Oh by the way, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Y/n began, Bhalla turned to face her, “How in the world was the library empty every time we had lessons?? Usually in the library, there are too many people, roaming.” 

Bhalla let out a nervous chuckle at Y/n’s words. Bhalla sighed and looked down at the pond, smiling.

“I-... I actually had the library emptied and ordered everyone to stay out for the two weeks, so… so you could study freely.” Bhalla muttered, quite hesitantly. 

Y/n’s eyes widened at the thoughtfulness and grinned, knowing she’s got to have had some kind of positive change on him. It amazed Y/n how humble Bhalla was being. 

She knew for a fact that the Bhallaladeva she saw on the silver screen wouldn’t have done a single thing that the Bhalla now was doing. 

He wouldn’t do any of this, and if Y/n was being honest, the Bhalla in theatres would have forgotten about her existence the few seconds after meeting her. 

But this Bhalla, the one in front of her who was feeling flustered at the prospect of caring for someone - he was different. He potentially could be someone else in the future. Someone who doesn’t go on to betray his family and torture the kingdom. 

Y/n's smile faltered for a moment thinking about the fact that the man in front of her could do such horrendous things in the future, should she fail her mission. This same person would go on to terrorise the kingdom and get killed by his brother’s son. 

Y/n’s eyes glossed over with a sense of pity. True, she did feel pity from the very start, before she even arrived in Mahimathi, but now that she had gotten to know Bhalla on a personal level, it wrecked her heart to think about his future. 

But then she remembered. All she had to do was slightly direct his path to a better one. She could save him from his horrid fate.

Y/n smiled softly and looked at Bhalla with such soft eyes that they pulled something in Bhalla’s heart.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Y/n said, softly, her voice quiet but caught by Bhalla, who smiled. His eyes found Y/n’s and for a moment they shared eye contact before Bhalla quickly redirected his look to something- anything other than Y/n’s eyes. 

Bhallas, put his face into his hand as he let out a laugh, he could barely look in her eyes for a few seconds without a weird feeling erupting in his stomach. 

“You’re very much welcome, Monkey,” Bhalla said, a feeling growing in his heart, pulling at his heartstrings, making him feel pathetic, and Y/n laughed

Neither Bhalla nor Y/n realised what this would’ve meant or what this weird feeling in Bhalla’s heart was whenever he looked into Y/n’s eyes. Bhalla had a slight hunch, but being the egoistic prince he was, he continued to deny it.

♡•♡•♡•♡•♡•♡•♡•♡•♡•♡•♡•♡•♡

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭➜ @vellipo-mellaga , @mellaga-karagani @bhalare-vichitram , @ghal-ghal , @bitchy-bi-trash @vijayasena , @celestesinsight @houseofbreadpakoda @slutdreams @eclecticprincecollector @a-goblin-named-cherry @signed-manny @angstylittleb1tch @tulipmagnoliaisme @jkdaddy01 @channniesslefttt @toomanyfanficsbruh @reebibii @outofst1le @goldenharrysworld @warnermeadowsgirl 《If you wish to be part of the taglist, please let me know in the replies!》

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French (teaching) resources

Hi everyone! I've taught beginning and intermediate french at the college level for the past two years and have accumulated a lot of PDFs that may be helpful + made some reading/listening activities that I wanted to share.

if you self-study, this may be helpful as well, especially when it comes to grammar practice.

Here is the link to the google drive folder

I am happy to answer questions as I am able.

Some notes:

grammar:

largely from: Grammaire progressive du français, (niveau avancé) | Contrastes : Grammaire du Français Courant | some (rather old) McGraw Hill French 2 and 3 texts | and various places online

SOME of these have answers. some do not. unfortunately, I don't have access to Contrastes right now to scan the answers. When I do, I'll try to upload them.

Sorted generally by what they are (adv/adj, articles, pronouns etc) however, the file names are NOT the clearest. i'll try to go through and fix those when I have time.

You'll notice that the two named texts are advanced grammar books - I adapted these when I used them in class if I needed to, or just used some of the activities on the page.

I also highly suggest UT Austin's resources here

activities:

WARNING: I created these myself so there may be the occasional error or weird phrasing in questions etc. Phrasing may also be strange due to the level it was created for.

The formatting may be a bit funky because I copied from word so my full name wouldn't be on them.

song activities are fill in the blank or comprehension question exercises. they have the lyrics and some vocabulary translations with them.

song activities - I often showed the music video but you could just play the music if that works better for you

song activities - these are typically excerpts and not the whole song. most do not have the time stamps, but the lyrics should help you figure that out.

video or reading activities are typically comprehension questions. some have my instructions for using them in class, others are just the text/video and questions.

Some of these are harder than others (songs go faster/grammar involved is more difficult) so check before you use.

[creation-help]

Actually, I think I wanna say something about the increasing censorship and removal of porn from the internet. I don't think it should be controversial of me to say, but I'll put it under the cut still just in case. But considering what this blog is like, I think it's an on theme thing to talk about.

I'm gonna get straight to it but you're completely justified in being upset that sex workers and erotic artists are being basically banished from online spaces. Some may say oh, if you want porn just go to porn sites like pornhub or whatever, but really I understand why not everyone wants to. Aside from concerns about illegally uploaded content, plagiarism and the rise of Ai, it's just not up to everyone's taste. What I mean is, that. Well, hold onto your socks for this one.

I watch porn. Gasp! I know. Anyway. From my time cruising different porn sites, any animated or otherwise artistic content is often mass produced, kinda shitty lifeless 3D blender stuff that has very little soul. No disrespect to any people who actually worked on those, but I bring this up bc personally I understand enjoying the kind of porn and erotica that genuine passionate artists make! Like, it'll immediately be more enjoyable to look at something that clearly has alot of effort, passion and genuine artistic skill put into it, rather than something made for brainless horny consumption. That is, again, increasingly often generated by machine learning algorithms, and used with art scraped from actual genuine artists who are trying to make a living off of it.

Porn art is art. Erotic art is art. We are allowed to care about it, enjoy it and definitely protect it's existence.

And btw this isn't some big judgment statement about the purity of artistic porn as compared to "That other NASTY stuff", but moreso just an acknowledgement and defence of the fact that porn art can be beautiful, meaningful and something genuinely worth engaging with. And it deserves to have it's own platform with the appropriate guidelines (so before any poor pissers come on this post, I'm obviously of the opinion that it needs to be properly filterable, behind protective measures and or tagged. Fucking duh.)

All art is valuable. Even art made to satisfy sexual fantasies or appeal to primal urges. And it truly is saddening to see nsfw artists being robbed of platforms or placed under increasingly suffocating restrictions that take away their earnings, if not even their livelihood (like in the case of many sex workers. Speak of which, I'm mostly addressing nsfw artists but you can imagine how badly this is hitting sex workers as well. That's also something you should be upset about.)