#Transcribe Conference Calls

[mrsmiseryxo]

Behind Closed Doors

homelander x assistant! reader

🎧 Behind Closed Doors- Lana Del Rey

Disclaimer: This is finally done after two months, i first started this when the season came out. I don't know anything about the corporate world. I made up things as I went along :3 im sorry :( Also my first time writing fanfic and first time creative writing in a while, so I am a bit rusty be nice please :3 I wrote this as a challenge to myself , so i hope its not too bad. Constructive criticism welcome :)

around 3-4k words i lost count

this is so secretary ( 2002) coded

Tags: dom!Homelander Fem! Girly! Reader. praise kink, body worship, p in v, fingering, cmnf, homelander is soft for reader. creampie, breeding kink, daddy nickname used. homelander and reader are horny weirdos. I'm bad at tagging hopefully i'll be better :(

Set between seasons 3-4 but i didn't watch gen v oops

You transcribe the meetings for Vought, and you feel like you don’t get the recognition that you deserve. That is until Homelander calls for a private meeting. 

You were quiet and meek, like a little mouse. He viewed you exactly like that. A rodent to be exterminated. Squashed. He’ll have a word with whoever was in charge of hiring you. Even more of a word if it was Ashley. In your eyes, he could never hide the utter disdain on his face whenever he got a waft of your sweet, vanilla rose scent as you . He thought you represented everything wrong with humans. Your head was always hung low, you always stared at your shoes as you brought Ashley the notes for this week’s meeting. How dare you not look in his eyes? How can someone as stupid as you ever be trusted with confidential information about the company?

He absolutely hated everything about you. Your prissy nature, the way you only drank matcha lattes with soy milk. He turned his nose at that poor excuse of a milk option. He smelled that bullshit from a mile away. He hated the gloss on your lips. He hated the sparkle in your eyes, like you still had a lot of life to look forward to. He hated that hopeful mentality you held, following the philosophy that life was going to get better. He simultaneously hated and loved the way you cowered in his presence, the way your hands get sweaty and clutch at your skirt. He loved and hated the fact that you couldn’t hold eye contact with him. On top of all that, Homelander hated the way you made his dick twitch.

Even as you stumble around with a slight hunchback, he couldn’t keep thoughts of peeling off your tights and bending you over the table where meetings were held. How breathless and cute your pathetic moans would be. How he would make you speak up and ask for what you truly want. He wondered what your lip gloss would taste like. How soft your plush ass would feel as he caresses it. Even considering your horrible posture, something as small as your scent is enough to turn him on.

When homelander would retire to his apartment, he would drink a pint of milk and jerk off. That was his nightly routine for the last couple of years. He would think about Madelyn Stillwell, Stormfront, and if he was feeling especially normal, he would think about Queen Maeve. After a week of you working at Vought, his jerk off material had changed. He began thinking about you. A lot. You had dominated his brain, and this irritated the hell out of Homelander. He had never given this much thought to another person before. Mundane and ordinary things had popped into his brain. What did you eat for breakfast? What side of the bed do you sleep on? As much as he tried thoughts of you out of his head, they always came back with a vengeance. Just your entire existence bugged Homelander, but he got used to seeing you in the conference room, even looked forward to the weekly meetings if it meant he got to see you. He’d notice that his presence would have an embarrassing effect on you. Of course, he would have a certain effect on just about everyone that he encountered, but he relished in the fact that you would get so flustered when in the same vicinity of each other. He would then think of ways to get you worked out, he wanted to tease you just enough to coax you. He’d knew the type of girl you were, you thrived under words of praise. Homelander also knew that you’d be obedient enough to never say anything. He’d make you fear him, more than you already do. He wanted to make the desire to please stronger.

After the first month of your newfound employment at Vought, you wondered why anyone would put up with Homelander and the Seven’s antics. You pride yourself on your obedience and dedication. Why could nobody acknowledge the sea of tears shed over copious hours of overtime, and the perfection you put into shooting out emails everyday, keeping people on track. You even schedule the time the emails are to be put out. You know deep down you will never say anything, or even hint at the maltreatment and neglect that you recieve. You want to remain hopeful that this is just a rough patch, and as you get more acclimated to the company you won’t feel this way, they won’t treat you this way.

You wake up at 5:30 to face the day. 30 minute shower, a five step skin routine, and light makeup routine. You were told to always look your best when first hired. Vought has an image to maintain, and their employees should reflect that ( which only really applies to female employees).

While in the shower, you contemplate your life. You’re proud of yourself and what you have accomplished so far, but sticking to the Vought job is insane. It’s insane because you have a crush on your boss. Arguably the most famous and powerful man in America, or even the entire world. You know he's not a good person, but you wouldn’t mind being at his beck and call. God, it was pathetic how you imagine him grunting in your ear for you to take it. You try to move past these thoughts for the betterment of your life.

You are the first to arrive to the meeting room. You set up your space, placing your laptop, a notebook with strawberry pattern on it, and your matcha latte with soymilk.

As the supes settle in, you get ready to write. This week’s meeting was about searching for another member of the seven, or to speak truthfully, find a new black noir. You are clueless to how The Seven found itself without a Black Noir, but you know it is in your best interest to never ask questions. Of course, like the queen of England, Homelander is the last to arrive. Homelander strides in greeting everyone.

“ Mmm can’t wait for the bullshit we talk about today,” He rolls his eyes. You notice his tone even more irritated today. Homelander walks over to the front of the table and sits. Everyone waits for him to speak, for him to start the meeting. As you write the date on the top of your paper, you hear him clear his throat.

As you look up, he says your name. How does he even know your name? He couldn’t give less of a shit at anyone at this table, especially you.

“Can I speak to you at the end of the meeting? Alone of course. We wouldn’t want any of these morons listening in”

“ Oh. Yeah, of course!” You stutter a bit. You give him a small smile. He gives you his signature fake smile back. You know that look all too well. You recognize that that look is basically the middle finger. That highly calculated smile hides the disgust he feels for everyone around him at any given time. All the while, you are caught off guard by his words. Being alone in a room with any man would make you anxious, but being the only woman in the room with Homelander makes you nauseous. To say you are absolutely mortified would be an understatement.

Everyone in the room gives you a side eye. Ashley looks like she might pull out a gun and shoot you. She knows she’ll never hear the end of it. After all, she did hire you.

The rest of the meeting goes as smoothly as it could. Some dumb remarks were made by The Deep, but it could have been worse. You didn’t pay much attention during this meeting, as you were in your head about what this private session with Homelander would entail. Homelander senses your heartrate going up. He can practically hear the blood rushing through your veins. His hand quietly goes to grab and rub his bulge. He thinks of you on your knees, him grabbing your hair as you rub your face against his crotch with your hands on his thighs, looking up at him with adoration in your eyes. He brings his hands up and bangs the table.

“ Ok, I think we’re all done here,’’ He gives instructions to the Deep and Ashley to scout for the new Black Noir while A-Train shoots his movie. You write the details of the meeting in your notebook.

Everyone gets out of their chair and leaves, Ashley gives you a death stare. You feel faint, and your legs try to gather courage to walk toward Homelander.

“ Shut the door behind you, will you buddy” Deep closes the door, and you two are left alone at last.

Homelander slowly strides toward you with his hands behind his back. Like a deer in headlights , you were paraylzed with fear, you could not move. He softly grabs your chin. He sees the fear in your eyes.

“ Hey, you’re not in trouble. I can see the hairs on your arm standing up. It’s fine. You’re not in trouble.” He reassures you, eliminating the worst case scenario your brain. You breath a breathe of relief. You look at Homelander’s boots, still afraid to look him in the eye.

He gives a slight chuckle. “ I’m not going to laser you, ya know. Um, actually I asked you to stay because I realized something.” He places his hands on your shoulders, you finally look up. He is towering over you. You can see the absence of his pores on his face. He truly is perfect, which makes his presence even more intoxicating. Your head feels dizzy from both the fear and his course fingertips on your shoulders.

“ You’ve been here for a good while. I know that you think that you’ve gone unnoticed. But trust that that could not be further from the case.” He sighed. “ To be quite honest with you sweetheart, you’ve been too much of a distraction around here. Your short little skirts are killing me.” Homelander laughs. He imagined his hands hiking up your skirt all of the time. He toys with your hair as you cannot believe that this is happening. His hands travel to your neck as you can smell the mintiness of his breath. He places soft sweet kisses on the tip of your ear as you let out a whimper.

“ I know you wanted me like this.  Ya think I don’t know why you try so hard? You want to get my attention. Think of this as a reward, yeah?” Your knees buck. The pit of desire in your stomach is getting bigger, and you're aching for more of his touch.

“ I need you to look at me” He says in his stern voice. “ And I need you to respond when I’m talking to you, kay? Sit on the table for me.”

You nod your head. A light tap of his hand kisses your left cheek.

“ Use your words, doll.” Homelander whispers and looks at you tentatively.

“oh okay” you stutter and stammer.

He impatiently unbuttons your shirt, practically tearing it open, and quickly undoing the claps of your pretty pink bra ( which you wore everyday, holding onto hope he would one day see it) clumsily breaking a clasp in the process.

“ I’ll get you a new one, its fine” Your mouth opens in a slight gasp.

His tender, soft, touch full of need finds the softness of your breasts, as he bends down to delicately pinch your nipples, hard, from the building's chill and the unfamiliar feel of his leather gloves. He bites his lips, resisting the urge to come right then and there. He lightly sets you on your back, legs dangling off the table. He looms over your view. The blonde man begins to suckle on your breast, massaging the other. His lips leave soft marks all over your tits as he rotates his hands and his lips.

“ Oh god, you feel so fucking good, sweetheart, your tits feel amazing” You let out a mewl as your pussy clenches. Filthy sounds of Homelander lapping at your tits and soft cries escaping your mouth fill the room. He lightly nibbles your nipple. In a fleeting moment of bravery, you give Homelander a request.

"Mmm want you inside"

“Not yet honey. Needa prep you first, know you can’t handle it right now. ” He unzips your skirt and throws it across the room. Your tights were thigh high, so he didn’t have to take them off like he would have liked. He looks almost animalistic as he crouches down to level with your cunt. He rubs his gloved hands up and down your bare thighs, as he inhaled the scent of your clothed pussy. You run your hands through his soft, blonde hair, thinking about how how heaven feels.

He murmurs into your pussy, “ you’re fucking soaked and i barely touched you”

His nose brushes with your clit. Catching wind of your squirming and quiet mumbles, Homelander purposely moves his nose in a circle while he maintains eye contact with you. A strong hold of his hands is on your hips, trying to contain the buildup of your pleasure. His rhythmic movement works your way toward an orgasm, and as you get higher and higher, almost reaching your peak, he moves away, toward your mouth, embracing your tongue, biting your lip softly, as your lips sloppily crashed into each other. He sat you back up as his arms moved up and down your back. Anger quickly left your body as quickly it came, you couldn’t be mad at his denial when you inhaled his fresh linen and sandalwood scent.

He breaks away from your lips .“I want you to cum on my cock, so im just gonna make you nice and wet for now, sound good?” You look into his of course that sounded good, but something felt off.

“ mmkay homelander” you mumble, feeling a bit odd and disconnected suddenly. You don’t want to call him that, his nose was in your pussy, his tongue all over your chest, it felt wrong to call him homelander. Sensing this, he does the unthinkable.

“ call me john” he mutters under his breath, almost inaudible. you grin at him.

“ mmkay john!” God. your squeal and positive attitude made his cock even harder, which he didn’t think possible. You relax a bit more, as this was a sign of him opening up.

He slowly wiggles you out of your panties, as you giggle. Leaving you fully naked, Homelander basks in the sight of you, ready and pliant for him. 

“ Yeah, what’s so funny” Homelander smiles at you. 

“ hmm. Dunno. You’re just so…” you trail off at the end of your sentence.

As you’re responding to his question, Homelander slips a finger inside you. You let out a cry, slightly rolling your head back.

“ Im so what sweetheart, finish your sentence” He grabs you by your neck, demanding a deep sloppy kiss, whilst adding another finger in your pussy, plunging deep in and out of your slick folds. He curls two fingers up,

‘So..mmph..good, feels good, john” 

“ Mmm yeah I know honey, I know ”  He coos, mockingly in between kisses. He worked his fingers until your breaths became ragged, squirming and quivering under his touch. 

“ You’re so fucking wet, baby” He grunts while you moan as John scissors his fingers in and out of your slick pussy. He moves his fingers, moving them into circles on your clit.

“Im gonna cum, please!” You plea for him to keep going, faster.

“ Ah ah ah, no i don’t think so. going do it on my dick remember?” He pulls his fingers out of your wet warmth, drags his tongue up and down his fingers.

He moans as he sucks on his own fingers, you look up at john with utter adoration.

“you taste so good mmph” Your tongues intertwine, lapping filthy at one another. He bits your earlobes while his hands lazily fidget with your nipples.

He then brings the bottom of his suit to his knees, cock swinging out. It’s egregiously thick. His length swollen and aching, leaking out precum from his pretty tip.

“ I’m going put my cock in now, ok sweetheart?” He seems to take it easy on you, as he doesn’t mention your mouth salivating at the sight of his dick.

“need it bad, been waiting for it”

“ Oh I know, i’ve seen the way you look at me” he laughs sinisterly.

He uses one of his arms to spread your thighs wider apart as his other hands supports you up, grasping the whole of your back. You smile up at him

He positions himself nearer to you, his cock at your entrance.

“ it’s gonna be a big stretch ok, need you to breath, if you need support, hold onto my shoulder.” he senses your lack of experience, or at least your naivety. you had never experienced anything like this, and you never would again, he would make sure of it.

you nod your head and look up. You’re already cock drunk, you trust him with your life. He reassures you with a kiss to your forehead.

Homelander bullies his length through your warm walls, gently and slowly. you let out a cry, both of pleasure and pain. you feel so good full, He groans into your mouth, as you moan into his.

“ ok honey, it’s going in”

“mmmphh John, so big..”

“does it hurt?” he stops in his tracks.

“a little, but not a lot” you say almost in a whisper.

“ok, ill keep going really slow, sweetheart”

He thrusts real slow, as he caresses your face. you lose feeling in your legs as he pounds softly into you. He finds him rhythm quickly as he maintains his pace. You hold onto his back as he moves his hands all over you.

“ God, your tight pussy clenching my cock feels so good sweet girl”

You smile and giggle.

“ My dick needs to be in your sweet cunt forever, sweet cunt, sweet girl” He growls into your ear.

“mm Keep going daddy!” you squeal, not knowing the damage you have done but uttering those words. Homelander feels like could come right then and there. A primal switch flipped in his brain.

Tears begin to swell in your eyes. “ I’m so so so sorry i didn’t mean to say that” Homelander sees your eyebrows furrow and your eyes widen.

His thrusts begin to pick up the pace, the perfect rhythm becomes sloppy, as your juices spill out of your thigh. His fat cock ever so slightly touches your cervix as you let out a soft sob.

“you don’t know what you do to me don’t you? Jesus, this pussy was molded for my cock” He grabs you by your knees and throws your legs over his shoulders. His dick twitches inside of you, signaling he’s about to cum, and you’re about to follow him.

“Say it again. Call me what you just called me” He annunciatesin a low voice.

“ Fuck, daddy feels good, want your cum” You feel free of all embarrassment and shame in that moment as you bask in euphoria.

“ That’s a good girl. Good girls get to cum. Good girls get filled up with daddy’s cum” Homelander never knew that this nickname did it for him. Hell, he was more of a mommy kind of guy, but he would do anything for you. Any word that came out of your mouth would make him hard, because it was you. But submitting yourself to him in this way, it did more than getting his dick up. He was disgusted by this feeling. What was it? Why did it feel so weird?

“ Oh god I’m gonna cum, gonna cum in you, give you babies oh god” He sloppily kisses your face, as fat blobs of sticky cum drip out of your cunt. He keeps his cock in your pussy, as he holds you with your face pressed to his chest.

“i need to come daddy” you stutter and shake under him.

He allows you to come and you swear you see stars. John smears his cum across your pussy, then he bends down to kiss in between your lips highs.

He helps you into your skirt and what’s left of the rest of your clothes. You smile at him, and he smiles back. A genuine smile.

that got a little more emotional then i thought it was? idk should i make more of homelander x reader in mind? if you want to give feedback feel free to :) i’m doing this to be a better writer !

divider creds: @cafekitsune @bunnysrph @anitalenia

[munsonfamilyband]

Just had the most ooey gooey platonic stobin thought (featuring, as always, steddie)

Just, years after everyone has left Hawkins. The kids all graduated and have gone on to college. Nancy has her degree and is working her way very quickly up the ranks of the paper she works at. Jonathan got a job with Nat Geo somehow (though no one is surprised). Robin is working at some kind of archive, sorting and translating and transcribing and she loves every second of it.

Eddie and Steve live in the apartment right next to hers. At first it was awful, both because she hated having a wall between her and Steve, even with the balconies that they managed to connect somehow, and because their bedroom shared a wall with hers and they were so LOUD. Over time it got easier, her and Steve still were weirdly connected and Eddie woke up with a surprise third person in their bed multiple times a week but he knew she was a bonus when he asked Steve out.

Eddie got a job working as a tattoo artist (he convinced Steve to get one, but he only agreed to any tattoos that had a pair on someone else so he and Robin have matching anchors and ice cream scoops and he and Eddie have a little bat wearing a crown).

Steve struggled his way through school and got a job as an elementary school teacher. He comes home covered in glue and paint and glitter multiple times a week and has complained about ruining so many sweaters but he adores his kids and his job.

The night they get engaged Steve had just come home from the first parent-teacher conferences of the new year and he was barely standing up. He was carrying the italian Eddie had told him he ordered on his way home and when he got inside their apartment he was almost too tired to notice all the lights being off and all of their candles lit.

Almost.

Steve froze and then kept putting his stuff away, calling out for Eddie. He finally found him in their bedroom (that no longer shared a wall with Robin’s), where Eddie was bouncing on his toes and twirling a small box in his hands.

Robin didn’t know what was going on when she heard Steve scream… something, she couldn’t really tell because it almost sounded like he was crying. Her Bestie Alarms immediately went off at the sound of Steve Tears but as she opened her balcony door to go check on him, he was already there. Tears still falling, hand shoved into her face, and the biggest smile she had ever seen him make.

It took less than 5 seconds for her to recognize the new ring on Steve’s hand and then they were both screaming and crying and hugging each other. (They were also ignoring Eddie yelling from their balcony to give his fiance back).

A few months passed and Steve and Eddie had started planning their wedding. Robin was nervous, she was waiting for Steve to ask her to be his maid of honor or something and she wanted to, she did. But she was also terrible at planning big events and she didn’t think she could handle all the pressure of having to plan showers and parties and getting things organized the day of. She wanted to be in Steve’s wedding more than anything, but she did NOT want to be in his wedding party and she was terrified of telling him that.

When Steve and her were at lunch one day and he said he had something to ask, she started panicking. She had barely been listening but she did catch a word she wasn’t expecting.

Officiate.

Steve told her that he wanted her to officiate his wedding. He said that he knew she would have hated being best man (the way he didn’t said maid of honor didn’t make her love him more, it didn’t) because of all the planning but he needed her to be part of his wedding. She was great at giving speeches, rambling included, and he couldn’t think of anyone he would rather have perform his wedding.

They both cried and then got kicked out of the chinese restaurant.

When the time came, Robin stood at the “altar” that the kids had helped make. It was covered in flowers and twinkling lights and it looked beautiful.

That day, being able to be the one to help her best friend get married, was the best day of her life.

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

So @biatels asked me to clarify why I've concluded that John's Beatlemania-era sunglasses were prescription, while raising the fair point that his sunglasses didn't generally seem to have as thick lenses, causing major distortions, as he would have needed. (although maybe the right picture is showing distortions? it might just be harder to see with darker lenses)

However, I still feel the following interview tidbit I discovered once on Youtube indicates they were prescription lenses (though perhaps they weren't as strong of a correction as he technically needed).

I transcribed the whole thing because it's all round delightful.

LARRY KANE: John, what about the worst question you were ever asked at a press conference? JOHN: That somebody asked me? LARRY KANE: Yes. JOHN: Oh. Hold on a sec, while I think of one… Ah, the first– one of the worst questions you get asked is, er… It hasn't happened so much this time, the first time we got here, people kept saying "Uh, John, do people make fun of you 'cause you're blind or you're nearly blind?" … It's a load of rubbish, y'know, I'm just short-sighted so I wear glasses, but I wear 'em dark, y'see. But the thing is, when they refer– when any of us refer to shortsightedness we call it 'blind'. Anybody who wears glasses to us is blind. By the time we got over to the States, it was all 'round I was going blind. So people kept saying "What's it like?" y'know "What did the others say?" It was awful, y'know, horrible question! [in a posh accent] Didn't like it at all, Larry! AUGUST 1964 AUDIO SOURCE (with a timestamp!)

In my opinion, he's clearly implying he uses his sunglasses to see better here.

[hgejfmw-hgejhsf]

2023 Writing Roundup

I had to scroll back pretty far to find the tags for this, so if I missed someone who did this already and tagged me, I'm sorry if I double tag you at the end! But thanks to @kiwiana-writes and @inexplicablymine for tagging me in this roundup post!

As the post is going to reveal, I, uh, only just got back into writing a few months back, after taking almost ten years off due to, honestly, a lack of inspiration. I'd lost my voice, and I didn't suspect I'd ever love anything enough to write again, until this little pink book came barrelling into my life in June, followed swiftly by a little Amazon Prime movie in August, and both changed my life forever.

So without further ado, here's my writing roundup for 2023:

January

Nada

February

Zilch

March

Nothin'

April

Not a damn thing

May

Nope, nothing here either

June

Keep right on going, my friends

July

29th - The Lake House The night following the election, Alex has a surprise planned for Henry. A chance to make some new history.

August

8th - What If I Do? What was Henry thinking when he left Alex at the lake house? What were the days that followed like for him before Alex showed up at his door and forced him to face not only Alex, but himself?

18th - Gravity The first time that Henry enters Alex's orbit, at the Melbourne Climate Conference, and all of their subsequent meetings leading to their "violent altercation" at the royal wedding. Inspired by a post about how Henry very pointedly chose not to shake Alex's hand in the receiving line after the wedding and what that could have meant.

19th - The Rope Henry's reaction to Alex nearly telling him that he loves him at the lake house in Texas.

19th - A brief spark of a moment: A Red, White & Royal Blue drabble collection These drabbles are simply my personal challenge to contain myself to 100 words when I've always been…long-winded.

20th - Retaliation Alex and Henry, now dating, attend another state dinner, where they're unexpectedly seated directly next to each other.

21st - Every Version Alex does a magazine photoshoot, and the day that the magazine arrives, he wants Henry to look at it first.

23rd - On my heart just like a tattoo Alex and Henry are married, and on the day of the ceremony, they decide to do something special.

23rd - Ghosts After Henry leaves the lake house, Alex does not go after him. He doesn't storm Kensington in a fit of pique to call Henry an "obtuse fucking asshole." Instead, the pair spend nearly a year apart, both wrecked and miserable, until they find themselves on the list of speakers for an international conference.

27th - Darkest before the dawn The immediate aftermath of Henry discovering the email leak in the movie-verse.

28th - When I taste tequila Henry’s drunk. If the growing mountain of empty shot glasses, drained and discarded lime wedges, and gritty layer of salt on the table in front of him are any indication, he’s very drunk. Only, his brain is having a difficult time catching on to the fact that he’s drunk. And when his brain is this far behind the rest of him, Henry tends to find himself in precarious situations, with no real conscious thought as to how he got there or how he might have avoided them.

September

4th - The Maldives Inspired by a conversation about the zoomed-in and transcribed article about Henry in People Magazine from the movie and how the photos look like they could have been faked.

After their conversation with the king and greeting the crowd at Buckingham Palace, Alex and Henry ride back to Kensington. Alex mentions that his offer to fly to the Maldives is still valid, and Henry admits that he's never been, which sparks a discussion about some of the lengths the crown would go to in order to convince the world that Henry was straight. Alex considers what Henry must have gone through, and the two of them discuss their past and how it might have been different.

11th - Modification to the map of you Henry comes back from a month-long trip with his ear pierced, and Alex has no idea.

14th - Et Max Laryngitis Alex gets laryngitis, and Henry decides to have a bit of fun at his expense.

23rd - How bizarro is that Alex gets food poisoning, and Henry takes care of him…sort of.

27th - Royal Assent “If the boyfriend of a prince of England fails English Legal History, you’ll be the one to blame,” Alex murmurs as Henry sucks a bruise on his neck. Henry had arrived home from the shelter to find Alex buried under a mountain of books, his glasses askew and his hair wild, wearing the same bewildered expression Henry had seen as he walked out the door earlier that morning.

As he climbs into Alex’s lap, jumping a little as a particularly sharp corner of a hardcover book pokes him in the arse, he can feel the tension in Alex’s shoulders relax, ever so slightly.

“You aren’t going to fail. In fact, I’m going to help you,” Henry says, each word separated by a kiss to Alex’s chest, neck, cheek, and finally lips.

OR

Alex is trying really hard to study for a law school exam, and Henry takes it upon himself to...assist.

28th - 5 Times Henry Hated New Year's + 1 Time He Didn't “This is my curse,” Henry mutters, and Pez laughs across from him.

“You can hardly be responsible for the weather.”

“So the glaring fact that every single New Year’s Eve on record in my life has been an utter disaster means absolutely nothing to you?”

“We’re going to make it, so no, it means nothing to me,” Pez says with cheerful optimism despite the constant fluttering of white beyond the plane windows.

OR

5 times throughout his life that Henry's New Year's countdown has been ruined, and 1 time that it isn't.

29th - Stars in the sky are the stars in my eyes The ding of a notification sounds in the otherwise silent living room. As Henry’s eyes continue to scan the page of his book, ignoring his phone, Alex can’t help but glance down at the illuminated screen between them on the couch.

“Is that…a horoscope?” Alex asks, immediately retrieving the phone to confirm his suspicions at the exact moment Henry grabs for it a beat too late. He watches the bright shade of red crawl up Henry’s neck to burn just beneath the skin of his ears.

“Perhaps,” is all he supplies, his voice muffled as he buries his face far too close to the book’s pages to realistically read anything written there.

***

Henry gets his daily horoscope, and Alex is intrigued, so Henry shows him the constellations.

30th - What started in beautiful rooms Henry’s never taken any extra care in his appearance when playing polo. Certainly, he’s given an adequate amount of time and effort to ensure that he appears composed, but the sport itself lends to a bit of chaos, between the pounding of hooves and the whipping of the wind in a frantic rush. It’s all incredibly…well, wild.

No, Henry’s never taken any extra care in his appearance when playing polo…except today.

OR

Henry's point of view during the charity polo match.

October

1st - Do we still have forever? Alex has a sudden, serious allergic reaction, and Henry can't help but think about losing him.

2nd - Dear Dad I should start from the beginning, or rather, I should start by telling you how I got here, to this moment, writing you this letter.

OR

Henry writes a letter to his father on his wedding day.

3rd - Liquor was the only love I'd known June finds them at some point and steals Henry away to gab at the bar. Alex watches them from afar, wondering what they could possibly be talking about that has June nearly falling off her barstool laughing, until the crowd overtakes him again.

3rd - Then came a baby boy with long eyelashes Following their initial spirited entrance into Alex's hotel room following the DNC, Henry asks Alex about his encounter with Miguel in the bar.

13th - Volume Control Prompt Fulfillment: I need someone to write a FirstPrince fic where Henry overhears Alex saying "Henry is so annoying I can't stand him" so Henry says "kneel then" and it short circuits Alex's brain.

20th - 5 Times Alex Made a Disney Movie Reference + 1 Time Henry Did Alex and Henry have watched a significant amount of Disney movies, and well, Alex tends to have questions.

20th - You can't escape this drying ink “There’s…a matter…that requires your attention, in the Red Room. I’d be happy to escort you there.” She glances sideways at Henry’s PPOs, who shift in place, readying themselves to follow where she leads. Henry nods again, uncertain what other options lie open to him even if he wished to take one.

OR

Henry's thoughts at the state dinner as Amy leads him to the Red Room.

31st - Save a horse Alex convinces Henry to dress up as cowboys for Halloween and quickly realizes that Henry dressed as a cowboy was not something he was entirely prepared for.

31st - I'm not a robot without emotions, I'm not what you see At the royal wedding, Alex drinks and dances and contemplates both of the princes.

November

1st - The Candy Tax Ten-year-old Alex has invited his new friend Henry, who just moved to Texas from England with his family so that his movie star dad can be based in the US to shoot more movies, over for a sleepover the night before Halloween.

1st - Through the summer and the fall, we had each other, that was all The mountains are on fire. Red, orange, and yellow leaves cover thousands of acres of land, and the peeking of the sun over the distant horizon illuminates the hovering fog, creating the illusion of a persistent fire burning brightly without causing any damage. Instead, it paints a masterful landscape for an early morning riser to gaze at as he sips at a cup of Earl Grey and marvels at the fact that this beauty is a sight he has somehow been blessed to see.

2nd - Heart enough "...there are very few of us who have heart enough to be really in love without encouragement."

Instead of Alex flying to London, Henry is sent to D.C. to do the post Cakegate damage control just in time for Alex and June's annual Halloween party.

2nd - Life is a maze, and love is a riddle Alex, June, and Nora take Henry to his first haunted corn maze.

3rd - All at once, everything is different, now that I see you Alex throws out some possible suggestions for his and Henry's first ever couples Halloween costume, but Henry has something else in mind.

3rd - Halloween at Kensington The Fox-Mountchristen-Windsors may not be able to go out trick-or-treating like a normal family, but they can still celebrate Halloween in their own special way.

4th - No fear, no fences, nobody - no reins Henry takes Alex to a nearby farm outside Austin to teach him how to ride a horse. Eventually, they stop at a log cabin in the words for the night, and they decide to try another form of riding.

4th - I don't know why all the trees change in the fall Alex has had a terrible day. It's raining, it's cold, and he's absolutely miserable. All he wants to do is dry off and collapse in bed. But when he walks through the door, Henry is ready and waiting to take care of him. He even has a surprise that he's cooking up in the kitchen. And Alex gets to take a trip down memory lane.

5th - A-gourd-able “Oh, so that’s the reason you wanted a child so badly. Not for the opportunity to nurture and guide and love another human being that you helped to create, but for the perks of walking around to strangers’ homes asking for candy that our baby can’t even eat.”

OR

Alex and Henry take their daughter trick or treating for the first time, and it's Henry's first time as well.

5th - I want to play a game Alex and Henry agree to watch all of the Saw movies to determine if one or both of them will end up too scared to continue. Do they make it through the series? Or does one of them give in and lose the wager that they've made?

5th - Barbecue Sauce "I want to see your mouth covered in barbecue sauce. And then, I want to lick it off."

6th - With magic soakin' my spine, can you read my mind? What happened after Alex, June, and Nora played their little HRH Prince Henry Fact Sheet drinking game? Well, in this version of events, Alex finds a mysterious bottle containing what appears to be a magic spell for "Clarity of Mind." As dumb as it seems, he does the ritual and reads the incantation and moves on, flying to London for damage control. But when he shakes Henry's hand, suddenly things change, and Alex realizes that maybe magic is real after all.

6th - Don't need no butterflies when you give me the whole damn zoo (podfic included) Henry takes Alex on a trip to visit...a couple of old feathered friends.

6th - It's autumn in New York; it's good to live it again It's the first day of fall in New York, and Alex comes home from class with a special surprise for Henry.

6th - Reciting to the Waterloo Vase: Drabbles for the RWRDrabblePrompts Tumblr

13th - Wind me up, fill your cup like a river, drunk on watching me drown Henry sighs. "Is that the time you threatened to push me into the Thames?"

OR

That time Alex threatened to push Henry into the Thames.

23rd - The injury of finally knowing you (a birthday present for @ships-to-sail) Henry's thoughts just before and immediately after the countdown to midnight on New Year's Eve.

23rd - Smutsgiving 2023 Alex's heart rate monitor on his Apple Watch alerts him to some strenuous activity…at the worst possible time.

December

1st - We need a little Christmas The one where I let a random Christmas word generator choose a drabble prompt for a Christmas advent. Enjoy!

20th - Four Christmases From Washington to Austin, London to New York, Alex and Henry spend Christmas with different members of their families from 2020 - 2023. Funny couples' Christmas sweaters, festive swimsuits, statement-making ties, and family pajamas all bring lots of laughs, some tears, and a bit of fun to be had by all along the way.

25th - Oh what a laugh it would have been When Alex dresses as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, their five-year-old daughter makes an extra special, last-minute Christmas wish.

AND

Alex leaves his Santa suit on for a private evening with Henry while everyone else is snug in their beds.

Unpublished but Completed

December 30th - Take Your Time A New Year's Eve AU set in New York City (and that's all I'm willing to give away...for now)

January 1st - NYE Gift Exchange Fic

Tagging all of my lovelies who may or may not have already done this (please ignore this if you have!): @adreamareads @affectionatelyrs @anincompletelist @cha-melodius @clottedcreamfudge @cricketnationrise @daisymae-12 @duchessdepolignaca03 @gayrootvegetable @getmehighonmagic @happiness-of-the-pursuit @heybuddy-drabbles @indomitable-love @indestructibleheart @leaves-of-laurelin @leojfitz @littlemisskittentoes @lizzie-bennetdarcy @magicandarchery @ninzied @priincebutt @read-and-write- @rockyroadkylers @roseharpermaxwell @ships-to-sail @songliili @ssmtskw @statueinthestonetoo @stereopticons @suseagull04 @thinkof-england @tintagel-or-cockleshells @user-anakin @vanillahigh00 @violetbaudelaire-quagmire @whimsymanaged @wordsofhoneydew

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[annoyinglandmagazine]

‘My lord Maedhros?’ Satariel poked her head into the office hesitantly and he looked up from the letter he’d been attempting to pen with varying success. ‘Yes? Is there a problem?’ She paused for a moment before deciding any offer to transcribe for him would not be well received. ‘You’re brother’s have ….. requested your presence,’ she trailed off, not entirely sure how to approach the sheer lack of diplomacy the sons of Feanor seemed to have when it came to summoning the head of their house as if he ought to be waiting on them. The Lord of Himring simply raised an eyebrow and spoke ‘They called an emergency family meeting didn’t they?’ ‘Yes but surely there couldn’t be anything that’s come up between now and the assembly we had this morning? They made it very clear that they didn’t want any of the generals to attend so I don’t see how it could be an urgent military matter…’ the whole encounter had been very unusual if she was honest. ‘Oh, it probably isn’t,’ he sighed calmly while pulling himself up from his desk.

This answered precisely none of her questions about the seeming threat to the chain of command and raised a lot of new ones about why Lord Maedhros would prioritise something that was apparently unimportant with his valuable time. ‘Whose room are they in?’ ‘Uhh, the Lord Curufin’s I believe, my lord.’

He grabbed a few blankets from his bed for some inexplicable reason. Why would you need blankets for a meeting between the most high ranking lords of the House of Feanor? He turned back to her as he made for the door, ‘Thank you, Satariel. You may return to your duties.’ She was still deeply confused but went about her day as normal regardless. ******************

The sunlight bore down through the thin window panes in blinding streaks over the mountains. Himring had begun to wake hours ago, with people scurrying back and forth with their messages and paperwork through the winding corridors and staircases, drowning out the persistent roar of the wind with their hum of activity.

And their lord was nowhere to be seen. In fact none of them were. ‘Well we can’t have just lost him! There are guards for Eru’s sake!’ Erestor hissed under his breath, visibly beginning to panic but trying to hide it from possible onlookers. ‘We only have them all in one place once every year, we take precautions, they’re surrounded by all their most influential generals! We can’t have just lost a son of Feanor!’

Ohtarion, the general he’d been addressing replied in a low tone, ‘You don’t think I don’t know that! But the fact remains, I went to Lord Caranthir’s chambers for my report and he was not there! I can’t find him!’ He ran his hand over his face, ‘Lord Maedhros will have our heads!’ They paced back and forth in the cramped storeroom they’d ducked into before Erestor stopped.

‘We should split up right? Discreetly of course. Search for him.’ Ohtarion nodded enthusiastically, ‘Yes, good. Let’s do that. You check the upper floors, I’ll check the grounds? Great.’ This was the chain of events that led to Erestor approaching Lord Curufin’s chambers. The guards had all seemed to be a little uneasy and scattered around the place, whispering fervently and then pulling apart whenever someone passed.

The elves from Lord Curufin’s personal guard put their weapons down when they recognised him as in the service of one of the sons. They still held him up however, after all precious few were free to enter such a senior royal’s private chambers, certainly not someone affiliated with what could potentially be a rival. He told them he was searching for his lord, and if it was possible he could be in conference with lord Curufin.

They looked at each other and informed him that they were not sure, they had only started their shift recently, but they came to the conclusion that he could possibly get away with checking without causing too much of a diplomatic incident. After all it was better to know if they needed to send out search parties, none of their lords would forgive them if they let any regard for formalities interfere with their ability to ensure the safety of one of their charges.

So, cautiously Erestor edged open the door and closed it behind him, very much aware that this had the potential to be a politically disastrous action. He couldn’t see anyone at the conference table and hesitated before moving deeper in. He was rooted to the spot when he realised that he was in the sleeping area, not somewhere he ever would have normally had the clearance to be in.

He was just about to exit, informing them that it didn’t seem like there was anyone in here, when his eyes fell on the bed. He saw the streaks of flame red across the pillows on the headrest, intermingled with threads of black. There was silver splayed across the foot of the bed, seemingly obscuring the face of the former lord of Himlad, from where he was laying spread across the bed with his head resting on his brother’s legs. Which brother Erestor couldn’t determine.

Then he noticed his own lord, Caranthir the Dark. His messily braided head was resting on the Lord of Himring’s chest, and he seemed to be honest to goodness, nuzzling into it with a little smile. Maedhros meanwhile was holding Maglor and Caranthir to his side protectively and was seemingly stroking Curufin’s hair in his sleep. He sucked in a breath as he processed that he was looking at five sons of Feanor squashed onto the same bed. And they were just cuddling. Cuddling. They didn’t even have knives.

He snuck out in a daze and stumbled back down he staircase. In all his years working for the Feanorians this was the most disturbing thing he’d ever witnessed.

[odaclan]

Nobutada, Nobukatsu, and Nobutaka in the words of the Europeans

I am most grateful to that Crasset book, because I have finally found the text about Nobunaga's sons that I've heard referenced in various Japanese talking circles. That is, one of the Europeans had said that the one who is most similar to Nobunaga was Nobukatsu, much to everyone's incredulousness.

Since the source of it was one of the missionaries' writings, it was also present in the book:

Transcript:

Nobunanga (as is already said) had three Children. To the Eldest, call'd Jonosuquendono, he had given the Kingdoms of Boari and Mino. This Prince was so taken with Father Organtin's late Discourse, that he gave him full Licence to Preach in his States, and assign'd him a place in the Mitropolis of Mino for building a Church. The second called Oquaxen Fungedono, took much after his Father, both in Humour and Thoughts, for he was an able Man, and one that seem'd quality'd for the weightiest Employs in the Kingdom. Nobunanga had given him a promise of the Kingdom of Farima, and was at the very time upon the Conquest of it. This young Prince going to visit the Church at Meaco, after a long Conference with the Father, sent him upon his return a Present, with a short word in Writing, to show how much he was pleased with his Discourse, and withall, to let him know his desire of being fully instructed, in order to receive the Faith. The third was call'd Sanxichindono King of Ixe, who confessed that he was already better than half a Christian, and wou'd suddainly declare himself.

A lot of Japanese people, who mostly knew Nobukatsu for bungling his attack on Iga, were naturally in full disbelief of these high praises being sung about him. Although, this would make perfect sense if you consider that he might be a capable domestic ruler, but not very good at being a military commander. Even Japanese news articles says that during Hideyoshi's reign, Nobukatsu's governance of Owari was incredible.

In Japanese pronunciation "g" is indeed sometimes pronounced with a sound that is similar to "ng". The Europeans transcribe the names by ear, and so that's how Nobunaga ends up being "Nobunanga". It's not a typo, it's just how it sounds to them.

Meaco is Miyako, which is a term to refer to the "capital city" (Kyoto). Boari is Owari. Farima is Harima.

Jonosuquendono is Jou no Suke-dono, which is Nobutada's title. The full title is Akita-jou no Suke (which I discussed here), but is often shortened to simply "Jou no Suke" in address.

This story is also in the Murdoch book, translated directly from the original writings. It further detailed that Nobutada was impressed by the Christian teachings, but cannot accept it because apparently the commandment against adultery was too difficult to practice. He wasn't formally married, and I suppose the practice of taking concubines/consorts would be considered "adultery" here.

Oquasen is Ochasen, but I am not certain what "Fungedono" is supposed to be. My best guess is that it's supposed to be "Honjo", because at the time Nobukatsu's address was sometimes "Ochasen Gohonjo".

This text doesn't say which "Father" he talked to, but according to the Japanese articles, this was quoted from the letter written by one João Francisco, so perhaps Father Francisco was the one he talked to.

Also Nobukatsu being promised to be assigned Harima is something I'd never heard of before, and the Japanese articles that was discussing this European account didn't mention it. This is an interesting find.

Sanxichindono is Sanshichi-dono, Nobutaka. It's interesting that he was called "King of Ise" here. The division of the rulership might not have been so clear to the Europeans because from what I knew was that Nobutaka and Nobukatsu shared the province of Ise. Nobutaka in the northern half, and Nobukatsu towards the south, with Nobukatsu seemingly owning more territory due to his adopted family (Kitabatake) being the more powerful one.

[w3bgrl]

universal deviation

synopsis: changbin and juyeon officially deny their dating rumors; now it’s time to talk about it privately.

date: april 5th 2019

era: miroh

word count: 2.3k

featuring: kang juyeon, seo changbin, jyp, bang chan

warnings: n/a, just angst! maybe hinted misogyny at the end?

a/n: lied in that ask lol merry binchumas to those who celebrate! ps this occurs after their music bank performance! also ummm calling jyp ‘jinyoung’ is so weirddd (°_°)

“so…i’m sure you both know why i called you in today,”

changbin and juyeon sat anxiously before their boss in the jyp entertainment conference room with sweaty palms, tongues nearly bitten in half as he spoke.

“but, i wanted to get on top of this issue before it could get too out of hand. especially since you’re in the same group. firstly, however,”

they swore they could guess what was coming next.

“congratulations on your first win yesterday!”

juyeon and changbin let out a breath they had been holding since the moment they entered the room and smiled with the relief of some weight being lifted from their chests, thanking him humbly in unison.

“i have high hopes for the future of stray kids.” jinyoung eye-smiled in the same kindred way he always did to make others feel more comfortable in his authoritative presence. “i believe your time to really shine will come sooner than later, and i look forward to watching you all grow as artists.”

his smile fell now, replaced with that stone cold expression they had become quite familiar with during their trainee days. “but, all of that starts with maintaining your images for the fans. so, i’d like to get a direct quote that explains the situation and clarifies the status of your relationship with one another.”

“before we begin,” jinyoung slid the notepad beside him closer to where he could write “i’ll remind you that the company dating policy states that romantic relationships are strictly prohibited for the first 3 years after debut. in your case, this will be in 2021. i think as idols, the first three to five years after debut should be focused purely on promoting. so, with that said, is there anything in particular you would like to be cited?”

for the first time since sitting down the accused pair now looked at one another with knowing eyes. it was a good thing they read each other better than jyp because obviously they saw right through the others feigned innocence. juyeon was the first to turn back to their boss, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before she spoke.

“um…i know to be more subtle showing affection to my members for the public eye, so i apologize for acting without thinking. i will be more careful with my actions moving forward.”

the older man nodded approvingly and began to transcribe her account on his notepad. at this same time, changbin nudged her foot with his own under the table, eyes meeting from the corners of their vision. his eyebrows just barely knitted together like he disapproved of what she said, and as jyp looked back up, juyeon shifted to cross her legs.

“so,” he sighed and clicked his pen a few times “i’m just gonna go right ahead and ask; are you two in a relationship?”

changbin was the one to speak this time. “no.” he said stolidly, his tone flat and almost disinterested. “we’re just friends.”

“close friends.” she added

there was a moment of scrutiny from the man across the table who stared at them with narrowed, unmoving eyes. to be completely fair, both of their answers did sound a little uncertain, like they weren’t on the same page about where they stood. yet, jinyoung simply nodded and jotted down their words.

“that is good to hear, teamwork is an important piece of the puzzle. i hope this incident won’t impact your friendship.”

it was a blessing their boss wasn’t paying them any mind when he said this. even the most oblivious person in the world could have noticed the thunderstorm that brewed between them, growling and snarling as lightning struck with his words. they shared another knowing glance.

the trip home was quiet.

changbin and juyeon walked side by side with an unfamiliar distance between them, sullen eyes wandering from the cold tile flooring every few seconds to get a glimpse of the other. neither dared to mention the dark clouds that hung over their heads and instead fell head first into the busy swirl of anxieties, only starting to get dizzy once they arrived at their front door. changbin prayed that someone - anyone - would be home to ease the aching tension between them but all hope was lost when he wiggled the handle to find it locked.

the younger boy sighed heavily as he fished in his pocket for the key and hurriedly unlocked the door, obviously frustrated and yet he still held it open for her.

once in the entryway they both turned away from one another to take their shoes off and throw their stuff down haphazardly by the door. from his spot on the ground to unlace his boots changbin could see juyeon face him for only a moment before she left to disappear around the corner of the living room, a heavy thud followed by a grumble echoing off the wooden floors. he finally worked the shoe off his heel and meekly followed after to find her slumped into the couch.

juyeon looked up at him through her dark lashes and, though her features were tainted with woe, she offered him a weak smile. changbin felt a kick to the chest and left a noticeable gap as he sat down beside her, his mannerisms and movements now much softer than just a few moments ago.

there was a good long pause where both of them searched for something to say. anything would have sufficed, honestly, because this melancholic silence was really starting to eat away at their shared sanity. or what little was left of it at this point.

“please say something.”

she’d never heard his voice so frail, so weak. like a child asking for reassurance that things were okay. and unfortunately, the older girl didn’t have anything reassuring to say. she opted for another approach instead.

“sorry for getting you caught up in all this.”

changbin habitually reached out to tuck the stray hairs behind her ear so he could see her face but decided against it halfway. he sat back. “it’s a two-way street, joong. you can’t take all the blame.”

“but i am to blame.” she hummed, her gaze everywhere but him “we wouldn’t be here if i just…didn’t do…what i did...”

“…ju.”

finally she looked back over at the delicate flower beside her who blinked away tears as he shifted in his seat. “i’m glad you did. if not i would’ve spent the rest of my life wondering what it would be like. whatever it—”

he stopped himself. he knew what it was. they both did. and it was a part of the past now, there was no point in weaseling around anymore. still, he couldn’t put the word to it.

“—it was nice. and for what it’s worth, i wouldn’t change anything. if given another chance i’d do it all again. i’d rather die at your hands than never have felt them at all.”

she couldn’t help but smile at his words. he was always so poetic.

“you’re really special, you know that? i don’t know if anyone’s ever told you. i don’t know if i ever told you. but i hope you know. there is no one else in the world that even comes close.”

while the older girl rarely allowed her painful emotions to be shown in front of anyone else, changbin was someone who wore his heart on his sleeve - feelings displayed before him for anyone to bear witness. so when he finally gave up on fighting the tears and let them fall in thick streams down his cheeks that met at the scar on his chin, juyeon had to look away.

“don’t do that.” her voice was shaky as she nudged him with her foot “i’m not going anywhere — neither are you. i’ll be right here for a long time.”

he finally broke his gaze from her figure to wipe his wet face. “i know - i just…i just wish things were different. i don’t want this chapter to be over yet.”

there was a beat before her response.

“i’ll keep the corner folded on your page.”

her words resonated a bittersweet song that played on his heartstrings and when he was finally able to convince himself to look back over at the close friend beside him, there was already that familiar doting smile on her lips. he could feel his eyes getting wet again as she reached out to wipe the overlooked tear on his cheek and, for the first time, her touch left a sting.

“i know your feelings are locked up tight and all but…” he winced “how are you so okay?”

juyeon took a deep breath, subconsciously self-soothing. “i have to be. at least on the outside.”

“you can’t keep that up forever”

“it won’t be forever. just for…” her comforting smile became muddled as the timeline began to unfold before her “…for a while.” she said. her mouth tasted bitter.

he wanted to refute her claims - to tell her that it was okay to show them (him) how she really felt, especially in the privacy of their own dorm. but as he took just a second longer to think about it, he realized she was right. they weren’t just automatically in the clear once the statement came out, and though he’d certainly have to make some adjustments, juyeon especially would be scrutinized far worse than he ever would. or any other member for that matter. it happened before for less. he just couldn’t stop wishing that things were different; the people and the standards and their boss and —

“hey,”

her soft hum pulled him from the spiral.

“one day we’ll look back and laugh about this. and things will be different, but it’ll be okay. it is okay.”

changbin caught her fingers to pull her hand away from his cheek, deciding instead to cherish how perfectly the puzzle pieces of their palms fit together just one more time. he watched his thumb trace over the tattoo on the back of her hand and spoke so softly it was almost like he didn’t want her to hear him.

“i’ll ache over you until then.”

juyeon gave his hand a squeeze, and in that soft voice he used to adore, she put the final nail in the coffin that sealed their fate. maybe it was cruel of her; finally putting a word to it now of all times. but to her it was more like a secret message to the universe. like folding the corner of a page to revisit it later.

“the love isn’t going anywhere, bin. it’ll always be here.”

without the context she kept hidden inside, her original theory was correct; it was cruel. and her choice of words hit him like a truck. though he’d never been stabbed before, changbin could imagine that it felt pretty similar to this. and just as the tears began to fall again, there was a commotion on the other side of the room.

the pained pair whipped their heads in horror to see what it was - who had just stumbled upon something they definitely shouldn’t have - only to find chan waddling out of his room, eyes bleary with sleep. his hair stuck up in all places and as his focus zeroed-in on the recently accused chan was quickly brought back to reality.

“hey — are you okay? the meeting?”

changbin still hadn’t gotten past that word yet; love. it rang in his ears like his morning alarms, jarring and above all else, frustrating. that just left juyeon to handle the damage control and thankfully she was quick to jump into action.

“meeting went fine, binnie just felt bad i got in trouble.” she feigned nonchalance and fluffed his hair while he wiped his tears “but it’s okay, nothing’s changing and there should be a statement soon.”

changbin sniffled and plastered on a weak smile with a thumbs up to help the cause. it seemed to work as chan nodded with a yawn.

“well, i’m glad it went well. sorry you got in trouble, biya.”

she stood with a shrug, finally leaving the younger boys’ side to lighten the tension she felt with a joke as she grabbed a drink from the fridge. “it’s fine. just can’t be friends with my friends on camera, that’s all.”

chan chuckled dryly, “you’re funny, but that actually makes me very sad.”

“want a hug?” she offered over her shoulder as she unscrewed the lid.

“of course!”

the leader (who seemed like both the oldest and the maknae at times) giggled and happily bounced over to her, arms wrapping around her waist to lift her off her feet in a tight bear hug. he made incomprehensible squeaky noises as she wheezed and set her back down with a pat on the head.

juyeon laughed breathlessly as a result of having all the oxygen squeezed from her lungs. “better?”

“for now.” chan beamed. the chirp! of a twitter notification made his phone vibrate in his pocket and upon checking it he looked back to changbin, tears gone but the emotion still prevalent. “the rest of the boys should be bringing food home soon and then we’re going to the studio. you guys coming?”

both parties hummed in response.

he nodded and began to backpedal toward the bathroom. “kay, then i’m gonna go take a quick shower before i have to fight for it.”

“don’t slip!” juyeon called after him

“we’ll see!”

chan entered the bathroom and made sure to lock it behind him before looking in the mirror to find the natural perplexed expression he had been biting back. did they think they were slick? juyeon and changbin may have been able to fly under the radar to their boss, but really, how could they ever deceive someone who knew them as well as chan did?

[wordsandrobots]

So I'm working a-pace on a new 'IBO reference notes' post and since it concerns the origins of the setting's current economic order, I decided to go back an take a look at the timeline that flashes on screen during Episode 4. Since I'm transcribing it anyway, I thought I'd pop it here with some quick commentary -- it's available on the Gundam Wiki's Post-Disaster timeline page anyway but there are a few things I thought worth annotating.

P.D.0001 – The nations of Earth and Mars accept the 'Vingolf Proclamation' issued by Gjallarhorn. The interplanetary war that has spread destruction through the Earth Sphere and the Outer Sphere comes to an end. This conflict, which has produced more casualties than any in history, is described by the proclamation as the 'Calamity War' and is thereafter known by that name. With the cooperation of Gjallarhorn, Earth is organized into four economic blocs in order to reconstruct the devastated Earth Sphere. These are the African Union, the Oceanian Federation, SAU [Strategic Alliance Union], and Arbrau. Earth begins its post-war recovery under this new world order.

So we have the date of the reorganisation of Earth's countries placed within a year of the war ending. I feel 'with the cooperation of Gjallarhorn' is probably doing a lot of work here, since the fact that they were going around issuing proclamations speaks to how much influence they wielded. They did have control of Ahab Reactor production, after all, which is a hell of a thing to hold over everyone's heads while they're getting back on their feet.

Also, I think the dates are almost always styled as three digits elsewhere in the show?

P.D.0002 – At the 'Malta Conference', the four economic blocs conclude a treaty to divide and rule Mars. At their request, Gjallarhorn dispatches a large force to recreate the Martian governmental structure from scratch. P.D.0003 – Gjallarhorn redraws Mars's national borders, and each city is place under control of one of Earth's economic blocs. The four economic blocs begin wholeheartedly interfering in Martian affairs, and Mars enters a lengthy colonial period.

This makes me wonder what Mars looked like prior to the War. It reads very much like Gjallarhorn swooping in to crush any chance of the Martians reorganising on their own. There are hints at the start of Season 1 that the War was caused by Earth having a lack of oversight on the Outer Sphere due to the Ahab interference caused by the Ariadne Network. Did it start as a conflict between Earth and Mars?

Either way, whatever was left standing, Gjallarhorn bulldozers in and rebuilds Mars as a directly-controlled colonial territory. Interesting but not unexpected that it's framed in terms of the cities: Chryse is a fairly concentrated population centre in the middle of nothing.

P.D.0205 – Arbrau's government grants limited autonomy to its Martian territories. P.D.0208 – The Oceanian Federation also recognizes the autonomy of its Martian territories. P.D.0236 – Last of all, the African Union also recognizes Martian autonomy. However, as Mars remains subject to harsh economic agreements, it is in fact entering an era of puppet governments.

Two things. First, why? What spurred the Earth blocs to grant the illusion of autonomy at this point? There's a story in that, methinks.

Second, does this mean the SAU didn't have Martian holdings, or are we meant to assume they acted similarly to the others in the twenty-eight year gap between the Oceanian Federation and the African Union entries? It's unclear but I'd err on the side of assuming the SAU *did* have territory there, since it's otherwise always implied all four blocs have a stake in the planet.

P.D.0312 – On Mars, a movement begins to protest economic disparities with Earth. P.D.0314 – In her speech at the Noachis July Assembly, Kudelia Aina Bernstein calls for economic independence from Earth, and cooperative movements emerge in every city.

So the second date here is total nonsense. P.D.0314 is a year before the very opening scene of the show, which is a flashback to Mikazuki and Orga as little kids in P.D.0315. For comparison, here is what Kudelia looks like when she appears before the Assembly:

And here's how she appears in the end-credits imagery contemporary to kid!Mika and Orga:

It's the same costume but I really struggle to believe the Noachis July Assembly took place nine years before the start of the show (P.D.0223). For one thing, she is explicitly *16* in Season 1, and I doubt a seven-year-old would could have given a speech that spurred a planet-wide independence movement into action.

My guess would be that the mistake was made precisely because the opening scene is set eight years earlier than the actual action. In theory, that means we can extrapolate that the date is intended to be P.D.0222. Alternatively, if we take the 'second year at college' timeframe shown in the above screenshot as referring to the Japanese Upper Secondary School bracket, that probably places the Assembly a year prior, since it happened in July and Kudelia's birthday is 4 August. For her to have been in her second year of upper secondary, she must have been between 13 and 14, which is only possible if we take a date of P.D.0221 (that is assuming an April start to the school year as in Japan; obviously this calculation would change if you take a different month, or a different division of the school system).

Either way, we should probably also round up the preceding date, to P.D.0219 or P.D.0220.

Here's the visible text from the file on Coral's desk:

Name: KUDELIA AINA BERNSTEIN Age: 16 Birthday: 08/04 Gender: FEMALE Blood type: O Home town: CHRYSE Academic credentials: CHRYSE COLLEGE The daughter of Norman Bernstein, who represents the Chryse Autonomous Region. Her mother is Norman's second wife, Tomomi Bernstein. She has an excellent academic record, majoring in history and economics. In her second year, she visited Noachis as a representative of Chryse College, and made a speech calling for cooperation between the various regions seeking independence. After this Noachis July Assembly, the independence movements were stirred up, and she gain many followers among them. Continuous surveillance is required.

Interesting to know that Norman had a previous wife.

Now, back to trying to explain McGillis' . . . everything through the lens of capitalism, aristocracy, and blatant propaganda!

[edmundhoward]

15,16,17,18,25

🔥 choose violence ask game 🔥

15. that one thing you see in fanart all the time

the ariana grande-ification of anne boleyn in fanart is truly something. and as an olive skinned white woman, i don’t think white tudor fans know what olive skin looks like. also i think there is a frankly bizarre relationship certain tudor fans have with race (ab as an Other™️ because she was supposedly swarthy, trends surrounding coa being fair and spanish, jane seymour being ‘so fair that one would call her rather pale than otherwise’).

16. you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

i truly do not understand the appeal of characterising female historical figures (largely royal, aristocratic) as powerless victims — with no thought to their complicity in an inherently unjust institution. catherine of aragon (as one example) was immensely privileged to the detriment of the majority of people: she believed in this superiority as morally just and fought for it. remembering what her queenship meant should colour how we talk about her: lauding her as brave for fighting for her status can and should coexist with acknowledging what she was ultimately fighting for.

17. there should be more of this type of fic/art

i myself am guilty of this, but we absolutely need more content about non-courtiers (and content in general that is active and honest about acknowledging the fundamental value of those outside of the aristocratic sphere). wolf hall came close but veers into trying to have it both ways; ‘she [Mantel] wants to relish the bejewelled surfaces, the highly wrought fabrics, the flashing beauties of the Henrician age, while also having a go at the people and the institutions which enabled that agglomeration of riches. The aesthetic delight and the political outrage are on a collision course’. becoming elizabeth’s take on kett’s rebellion was hateful. one of the best jobs i ever had was transcribing local court records for an archive, and getting to meet dozens and dozens of men and women, and hear them talk about their lives.

18. it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...

critical thinking skills 🥴

i would be remiss if i didn’t plead katherine howard’s case yet again. she’s such a force of personality — charming and delightful and ‘fired with ambition’, when i think her ability to be as successful as she was as queen, given her lack of experience and the brevity of her reign, is nothing short of remarkable. i think people are genuinely missing out on someone so engaging when they dismiss her as either whore or victim. it’s a constant frustration, for me, that the way we talk about her remains so superficial.

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

god, i have so many of these; you could just send me 25s repeatedly atp haha. i think the most annoying thing though is the people who get weirdly offended by the insinuation that this fandom is, indeed, a fandom. there is this hypocrisy over how legitimate engagement can be — but ofc., certain people can be called ‘stans’ (indeed, ab fans can invent terms like ‘heneven eleven stans’ and ‘seyhive’, because people are just that painfully uncreative) but god forbid somebody, in turn, calls them ab stans. ‘i’m not a stan, i have a BA/BS/BE/LLB’; you write fanfiction — you are not serious people lol. it’s not an academic conference… nobody cares about you. you can leave if you’re not having fun, nobody is forcing you to be here.

[missamyrisa2]

please, be an office manager who forces her subordinate to do boring work, using very convincing methods!!!!

Sooo I spend a lot of my time explaining things to people and doing what I'd call a bit of counseling to ease them into things they don't necessarily want to understand in their projects ~~ which is exactly what I'd be doing for your ticklishness toooo ~ ooh yess I would to be whiteboarding out allll the ways your ticklishness is pertinent to the success of the organization ~ why, it's absolutely a core value of this team to ensure proper stimulation of every member's hot spots including yours ~ as we can see the lift and shift of positive energy ~ positive energy~! Which is why I'm putting you on this conference table and breaking out the soft tip markers ~ why yess, I know you're just gonna forget all these notes and email isn't cutting it so we're taking this offline and my assistant is going to be sketching allll the important aspects of this project on your bouncy tummyyy ~ don't worrry I have the best tingle ink around and you won't soon forget why this is so important ~ yes, we need to have a detailed schematic riiight there over the navel. The bellybutton is the center of this organizational chart. And up here we can add shaders to the ribs mmhmm ~ now stop squirming~!! We need team players now, and you've been sooo sandbagging it ~ let's hope this elevates your motivation darling ~ why this? This is just me etching coochie coochie coo in circles around your nipples. Yeahh I like to practice my script while she gets the diagram all set up on your belly ~ ooh yes, use those hips, those are perfect for the footnotes just get that ink allll up on those buttons. Ahh, I almost forgot! We need to have you check inventory too, so the shipment frequencies hmm we need to get those delivered to your feet and I have just the right lil fine tip marker for that ~ mhmmm right on the toes now, let's get every day's pattern down there. Oooh and don't worry your pretty ticklish head ~ you can transcribe allll of this at your desk and I'm sure everyone will be very eager to help and appreciate the penmanship on your sensitive body ~

[steamboatdreamy]

1986 letter to Peyo from Alan Burnett and the rest of the Hanna-Barbera crew, sourced from a sold eBay listing on WorthPoint. (x) Transcribed for easy reading:

'November 20, 1986

Dear Peyo,

Attached is the new concept that I had mentioned in my last letter. This idea is in response to the network's continued insistence on a highly-promotable concept for the 1987x88 season. Keeping in mind your desire for fantasy and simplicity, we feel we have come up with an idea that incorporates both. Though this concept adds a new element to the Smurf world, it does not change the spirit or make-up of the show. The description that follows is a preliminary one. We will need your guidance to fully realize this concept. We look forward to hearing from you, and in fact, we would like to arrange a conference call with you to discuss this idea further.

Sincerely, Alan Burnett and crew'

[hergan416]

Writing Patterns

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

I got tagged by @afterdeck-ace while I was at a work conference and so I'm only just getting to this now.

This should be interesting because I feel very strongly that my writing has changed since joining the yuumori fandom, and the last time I was tagged in this meme, I was still writing for the One Piece & Yugioh fandoms.

10. The Problem (Moriarty the Patriot, Allou, Rated M(ature), Underage)

It wasn't a problem that he could turn to his brother about.

9. Midnight Stroll (Moriarty the Patriot, Louiliam, Rated E(xplicit), Rape/Noncon, Somnophilia)

Louis wakes to a loud noise as the door to his room opens too quickly and slams against the wall. A muffled thud and a grunt follows, as the door ricochets off the wall and hits the intruder on the rebound.

8. Courses (Moriarty the Patriot, Allou, Rated E(xplicit), Underage)

“It's such a waste of a pretty face. I have heard the only one he willingly serves is that orphan tramp he calls a brother.”

7. No Limits (Moriarty the Patriot, Sherlouis, Rated E(xplicit), Graphic Depictions of Violence, Dubious Consent, Under-Negotiated Kink)

The guilty conductor was carted off the train at Grantham. And Sherlock’s words still burned in Louis’ ears.

6. Date Night (Moriarty the Patriot, Bondson, Rated T(een), Canon-Typical Violence)

There was a flash of silver. One of the targets had a gun. One of the targets had a gun and it was trained on Fred.

5. Starvation (Moriarty the Patriot, Allou, Rated M(ature), Underage)

The problem has only grown exasperated.

4. The Depths of a Mountain (Moriarty the Patriot, Sherlouis, Rated T(een), No Archive Warnings Apply)

“Come with me.”

3. Day 1: Fashion (Moriarty the Patriot, Sherlock Holmes and many, willsherbert, Rated M(ature), No Archive Warnings Apply)

A young man sat cross-legged upon the matted gray carpet of the library. It appeared he had moved a perfectly usable coffee table from its position between several overstuffed cloth chairs– missing backs and arms, as was want for public areas on campus– to take its place. He had spread an array of papers before him: they curved around his body in a half-circle reminiscent of a pale rainbow, but he seemed to derive little pleasure from their existence.

2. Day 4: Indulgence (Moriarty the Patriot, Sherlouis, Rated M(ature), Dubious Consent, Drug Use) *this fic was co-written with @vitya-nikiforova & the first line is mostly her writing, although I think it echoes the structure I started out with.

The apartment felt oppressively still in that quiet summer evening.

The Affair of Unforeseen Consequences (Moriarty the Patriot, Mycal, Rated E(xplicit), Contains untagged content that some readers may find upsetting to avoid spoilers)

Mycroft entered his office to find the seat to his desk thoroughly occupied.

Patterns: Alright! so I find that I have returned to much shorter opening paragraphs! Except for my Sherlock studying paragraph, my fics seem to open with one or two lines... although one fic truly began in the author's notes where the tiktok edit that it was based on was transcribed.

There is a mixture of action, scene setting, and introspection, which seems to be more attuned with the story I'm telling. I have a mixture of tenses even (and I know my fics are starting to mix tenses as a result 😬).

Maybe in the morning I'll see something different - really the thing I was noticing the most as I typed all that up was that my archive warnings have gotten more varied 😂

Tagging @seeingteacupsindragons @user-needs-new-hyperfixation @touchmycoat @nenya85 @kaibacorpintern @bum-scum @cawcawkarasu @vitya-nikiforova @winxhelina and anyone else who would like to participate.

[stregoniconiconii]

Some of the newspaper clippings gathered by Terry Ives. Some may be from the 60s, but they were gathered between 1971 and 1974 (after El was born and taken and before Terry got zapped).

Cleveland teen girl missing in Indiana

Missing persons investigators in two states are seeking the public’s help in locating an Ohio junior high school honours student and star girls basketball team captain, 16, reported missing last Monday, following a basketball conference championship game in Indiana.

After leading her team to victory, the girl disappeared somewhere between the junior high gymnasium and the bus waiting to take her and the rest of the team back to Ohio.

The girl’s widowed father describes her as a genius and unusually* strong for her age. Neither he, nor the police, consider the girl a runaway.

Bizarrely, a girl matching the team captain’s general description was found wandering in the middle of the street in a small Indiana suburb several days after the initial disappearance. [...]

*it actually says usually, but that doesn’t make sense. “usually strong for her age” ? nah this teen has super strength

Baby Boy abducted from county hospital

Memphis-A newborn baby boy was reported abducted from a nursery, and a nurse was found dead in her home, following a shift change at the county hospital. The nurse in question, whose identity has not been released until family can be notified, had called in sick for the last week before arriving unexpectedly to work yesterday. The newborn boy was last seen in this nurse’s care, before both newborn and nurse were determined to be missing by hospital administrators, who called the police. When police went to the nurse’s residence, however, they found the nurse dead from a gunshot wound, and signs of a struggle. No gun was found at the scene. [...]

Vanished! Indian girl missing in London

Metropolitan police admit they have few new leads for the disappearance of the young girl, Kali Prasad, who was reported missing several days after she was last seen, Saturday the 12th. The girl’s disappearance shines a light on the growing epidemic of the many thousands of children under the age of 18 reported missing in the UK. [...] At least one neighbour believes she’ll see Kali again. “I know she’s alive. I know it. I feel it in my bones. That girl was stubborn from the day she was born, and if she’s fallen down somewhere or been taken, it’ll take more than a little adversity to keep her low for long. We’ll hear from her again, you can bet on it.” [...]

didn’t transcribe all of Kali’s bc it doesn’t provide any real information, just talking about the number of missing children in the UK

Pawtucket Mother and Daughter Missing

[just a headline]

There were some other ones, but I wasn’t able to catch much. At least one other from Indiana because the Indiana FBI office was mentioned, another from San Francisco. Obviously, not all would be legitimate Lab disappearances, but honestly? Lots of fun if we’re trying to come up with Lab experiments OCs or something.

[leatherbookmark]

@labyrynth, sorry it’s a separate post! ;;

i found an article in japanese about this conference; it’s said to include “20 primary, middle and high school students”. it also describes the moment -- there’s a video of this meeting, but it’s over an hour long and i’m too lazy to find the exact moment, so i’ll just have to trust that the japanese article transcribed the thing correctly. i’ll try to roughly translate the bit below.

One male student had asked, “Mr Narita, you’ve often said “Old people, kill yourselves” during re:hack (the name of the meeting). I think it would be better if they left/departed (退散). And, theoretically, if one was to make a system where the elderly 自動でいなくなる (=die automatically/on their own=a gentler way of saying “commit suicide”, i assume), how would you do it? For example, with laws or something like that?”

To that, Mr Narita had said, “’How to do it’, well, I’m thinking it’s quite possible it’s how the future society will look like. There are movies that picture this sort of society, they’re a bit like SF movies. Everybody gets a timer placed in their arm when they’re born, and after a couple of decades, this timer activates and they automatically die. In this society, everyone is equal and has a set lifespan, and once the time comes, they die.”

Mr Narita then continues, bringing up another movie: “There’s another movie that shows another kind of society. It’s named Sommer-something and it’s about a mysterious fictional community. In this community, once a person reaches a certain age, they go up to the top of a cliff and jump off.“

After describing the two movies to the children, Mr Narita added, “It seems that settlements like this fictional community have existed in the past. So it is possible to imagine such a society, isn’t it? It’s difficult to say whether it’s a good or a bad thing. If you think it’s a good thing, I think you could work hard to create such a society.”

Mr Narita explained [after the student’s question] that “I didn’t tell the elderly to kill themselves, but I did say that seppuku is the quickest way to reform social security”. The student who asked the question regarding Mr Narita’s previous statements seemed somewhat confused. The movies Mr Narita used as an example were probably “In Time” and “Midsommar”. He introduced the works of fiction, but left it to the children to determine their moral value [lit. whether they’re good or bad]. (<-- this paragraph seems to be from another article)

i tried to sift through the video to find that exact moment, but i can’t atm, which is kinda weird i admit! this tweet has screenshots.

idk what to say about this, tbh! i feel like if it was any other situation i’d probably have more of an opinion, but at this point “GRAPHICALLY! and IN FRONT OF CHILDREN!” is like. my least concern (although i’m not sure if what he said can be called ‘graphic’, i’d say ‘graphic’ is like, describing what happens to the body as it hits the ground, but idk!)

but also, yeah, it’s just “.....seriously guys” but people just Love to find the Bad Guys to point at, even if it makes them look absolutely ridiculous and pointlessly cruel in result. i bet if the article was from another perspective, one that sympathizes with the professor’s arguments and supports them, and listed all the ways in which the elderly are Bad (they might be landlords! they might be bigots! they might be cruel to their children/grandchildren! etc!), they’d be singing a totally different song. but this time it’s Actually This Whole Fields Of Study Produces Heartless Demons. 👍 aye bro

[littleeyesofpallas]

Why are Viz translations so... (dramatic pause)... bad? Like some mistakes are understandable but they consistently mess up even the simplest of things.

I once heard that they have a policy to be different from fanscans, even if the fanscans are correct and they have to make things up.

Oh I can't possibly confirm anything about that with any kind of actual authority. But given the way some general writing and editing and translating and even just comic specific jobs that I'm slightly (and really only s l i g h t l y) more familiar with have worked historically, I've got my guesses...

Mainly, I've always just assumed that the core problem would be that they very likely have no in-house translators and just hire on contract work; meaning that effectively every time a new volume needs translating, they don't just call up The Bleach Guy or something, they reach into their bag of underpaid non-"employee" contacts and hand them the text to be translated, possibly even on a single chapter basis with multiples working in tandem to meet deadlines.

It's a gig economy problem that has been plaguing the publishing business for decades. If you only work on contract, each new contract stipulates the precise terms of what work you do and on what terms you get paid for it, usually in writing that's by word, or perhaps by page, but basically never by hour or salaried. By rotating out contract workers publishers avoid having to pay benefits, have the luxury of not renewing a contract, or not offering a new contract, instead of having to "fire" writers --you can just not pay a contractor if you don't have work for them for months with no sort of furlough or promise of job security; a way better deal for cheapskate employers who don't care if the people they hire can eat or pay rent-- and in general it just allows employers to not treat the people doing the work as real employees, not just interpersonally but in the eyes of the law.

But as for the quality of work, it would mean that anyone working on any particular chapter would have no direct contact with anyone who worked on previous chapters, or even concurrent ones, so there'd be no way to confer on terminology or style choices unless they were actually given notes by editorial, or went out of their way on their own to look at existing material for reference. Which would explain why things like the Resurreccion have no consistent style about what goes into parenthesis or not, or whether the Japanese or the Spanish get the secondary translation, etc...

Someone did mention on one of my posts that they'd heard translators were encouraged to avoid matching fantranslations word for word (it may even have been you who said it) which I can't say for certain if that's true, or if it's an official mandate or just a translator's rule of thumb. It feels somewhat unlikely that editors would make such a specific move to actually solicit and cross reference fanscans as quality assurance. On the one hand I can imagine an editor might not want it to look like they're stealing from or otherwise validating the work of fan translators, but I can't imagine someone integrating the regular process of checking for plagiarism from specific fan sources into their work without just sicking legal on them instead. But I could also see it just being a translator's tactic of avoiding being caught if they were basically a fraud who was just handing in loosely rewritten copies of fan translations for a free paycheck.

[EDIT]: oh and in addition, I also assume these jobs are submitted as isolated word documents. As in, whether the translator gets a copy of the japanese manga or just word document with all the text in question transcribed by someone else, they submit their work as a word document with minor notes clarifying page and panel, which a typesetter and/or graphic designer(those could just as easily be separate people or the same person: paying one person to do both would be cheaper, but it may be easier to find (and to underpay...) one typersetter who can't redraw and photoedit, and one graphic designer who can, than to find one person qualified to do both.) references in retyping everything, splitting text up between word bubbles, choosing fonts, and formatting weird things like parenthetical in the case of stuff like resurreccion and bankai and all that. So while it'd be a less direct cause of error, it would add extra opportunities for miscommunication and general screw ups.

Again though, I really can't emphasize it enough: I don't have a professional/insider perspective on this as far as Viz Media specifically is concerned.