#and respond to my request (which i've been working on and am excited to post!!! soon. eventually. 😓)

[valeriancrow]

Directory

Dividers: @sisterlucifergraphics , @cafekitsune , and @animatedglittergraphics-n-more

Thank you for letting me use ur dividers!

Genshin Impact (not taking requests)

One Piece (pending release)

The Arcana (not taking requests)

Requests are OPEN. Rules for requesting are here.

Requests currently pending… 0 (pls send some)

Currently have 5 fanfics in progress.

Shanks x Genderfluid Reader: mundane life on the Red Force, haven't figured it yet. has the most written words but lacks true form

Strawhat crew x afab anthropologist: Big ol' slowburn between Luffy and reader, they might not even get together. not a lot of romance goin on, but some well thought out high tension scenes. a real lil summary: "Series or mini-series with strawhats & afab anthropologist. Luffy comes across reader while they’re digging on an abandoned island at some ruins. Ur so tuned into ur dig site and notes that you barely notice ur being watched until it’s too late. Also takes place after wano and before egghead" I'm really excited for this one. this could also be Robin x reader but we'll see which way this story takes me.

Strawhats & male accountant/brooker: this is another potential slow burn but with nami. but this one most likely won't have any romance. also might just be a one-shot, when I write it i'll know how I feel about it. the real summary: "Series or mini series with strawhats & male accountant/brooker. Becomes besties with nami and keeps her in check from extorting the crew too much, def helps her with it sometimes." with how I'm feeling about this and how nami only loves beri idk if they're gonna get together.

Luffy x reader: based off of a poem

Zoro x tomboy reader: based off some fanart going for a mini series vibe. def modern au tho

"[Soft haughty tone] Hello fellow travelers, I am the Master Tale-weaver Valerian Crow. You might have heard of me on the whispers of the wind, or in your local tavern. For I have written a great many of stories, from entertainment of the sexier kind to the softest of fluff. [abrupt pause and soft accent is dropped] Okay, that's enough of that. I literally don't have anything else to say."

Hii, I'm Danny but my penname or persona for this blog is Valerian Crow. When referencing this blog, my works, or just addressing me use Valerian. I'm 18 and I recently graduated high school and going into college in Autumn.

I've been writing fanfic since I was 10 I think, might have started earlier, starting with the good old favorite Nico di Angelo x Will Solace smut that never got posted. Then later I wrote a 13 chapter pjo self-insert on Wattpad that I deleted so that's never getting posted here unfortunately (not). Also I happened across tumblr during the early days of the quarantine, I got no idea how I didn't find out about it sooner. I then got back into writing with Genshin Impact fanfics and posted them on Quotev. I have since abandoned the fandom in favor of One Piece which is the only thing I will be writing for. I possibly may be open to new fandoms or only specific characters but for now I'm sticking with my One Piece.

If you want to get to know me as Danny and not as Valerian please go follow my main blog @nico-ith. Here on this blog I am Valerian Crow and will not respond to Danny unless it is important.

credit for banners: @cafekitsune

~Valerian

[groenendaelfic]

Hey,

haven't seen you around a lot lately. Just writing to check in. how is it going? Wish you a nice evening

it is going, thank you for asking!

Life has been very busy these past few months but is moving in a hopefully good and definitely exciting direction.

In this particular order (if memory serves correctly) I've:

decided to move halfway across the continent

marked the one year anniversary of the worst time of my life

had other people mark the one year anniversary of the worst time of my life with all that entails

quit my job (I'd been planning that for a while)

had my boss and hr offer to let me go instead and half my notice period to two months (aka 'give' me more money and facilitate my move, yay pity)

started looking for a place to live and organizing my move

found a new job in a slightly different corner of halfway across the continent (I start July 1st)

got my request for citizenship approved (epic timing guys)

found a place to live in an awesome area (I will be able to do all my errands on foot and my new job is only a short bike ride away)

told everyone I was leaving for sure

signed the paperwork to have my uncle in law take over the place here

had my cousin offer to move my stuff with his remodeled fire engine in exchange for gas and (bridge) tolls

did all the paperwork in the universe ever

started saying my goodbyes for now (I still have lots of family and friends etc here so I'll be back a lot)

had my cousin tell me he'd make a bro trip out of the move because his friends really wanted to see a basic bridge, and room and board plus no girls was all the compensation they needed for getting to carry my boxes

said thanks but no thanks to citizenship (sorry Wille, you'll always be my King)

was asked if I minded the move taking a bit longer because the guys wanted to stop for totally unplanned soccer (a not insignificant part of their motivation if not a deciding factor I dare say)

did more move and job leaving planning and paperwork

welcomed, fed and watered a bunch of guys really into soccer bridges and very disappointed I didn't have more boxes they could compete carrying

prepared a big lunch basket and said goodbye to said guys and my boxes

sat down to write this list wondering where I should celebrate midsummer (aka do I want to travel back and forth to get everything ready or stay until it's time to hand in my work laptop etc)

Phew, yes. Also a million other things which won't come to mind right now. Thank you to everyone who left me such kind messages btw. I appreciate them so much but am still learning to respond to kindness and compliments without awkwardness. They nevertheless give me life.

In more interesting news to everyone here I've also done a lot of writing.

Mostly on One Wild Summer, which has already grown into a monster, but I've been writing the exciting parts later on and still guesstimate a 15k or so stretch which needs bridging to get to all the fun stuff I've already written.

but also on The Prince and the Barista and As Long as We Have Each Other. I only need to make it coherent and once again fill the gap to where I stopped posting.

plus *cue exasperated sighs* I'm also 9k+ into a new fic! The (once more) absolutely most self-indulgent thing I've ever written in this fandom and something I swore I never would turn into a proper fic. Expect the prologue for that (which was meant to be 500 words and not 5k) soonish.

Everything else including regular updates not before mid to late July though I think. Because moving and starting a new job and life means busy times and while I can write scribble down connected sentences with half a mind, I can't beta read and edit with half a mind.

tl;dr: I am still writing yr fic and haven't abandoned my fics, but am also busy moving. goodbye cloudberries and lingonberries, hello wineberries vineyards and appleberries apple orchards.

[tideswept]

I was tagged by @yourfavoritefridge and am taking a page from @sendpseuds ('s) book and answering this while deeply compromised. Sober, I am not.

You have been warned!

1.) How many works do you have on ao3?

62!

2.) What's your ao3 word count?

800,347! (Ooh, big round number!)

3.) What fandoms do you write for?

Currently: Kingsman & Star Wars. (I really never thought I'd be in either of them but I'm glad I am.)

4.) What are your top five fics by kudos?

gold and pink and glittering: 498, Hartwin, E. I'm still surprised to this day how much people liked it. First smut in several years.

the lean and hungry type: 453, Obikin, E. First time getting to do alpha/beta, and written from around 11pm to 4 am and then another hour proofreading. I was mildly delirious, ngl.

offer a little salt for that wound: 463, Hartwin, E. OOH man I had this one in my head and wouldn't leave me tf alone. My plot bunnies aren't USUALLY visual, but this one was!

cold water on your tongue: 429, Obikin, E. Still surprised this one took off tbh! I had a lot of moments where the fic felt awkward to me and not worth salvaging. But I think it makes people happy, and god, I can't really ask for more than that!

somebody to lie in the dark with: 302, Obikin, E. That's the second time today I've typed something instead of someone in that title. HMM. (Sith-Wan, my darling!)

5.) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do when I can! Have a pretty decent streak going, I think? I think I owe a really lovely commenter from like 5 days ago and nnnghh the guilt is heavy.

6.) What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Potentially empty spaces, empty phrases (Obikin) depending on how you decide the ending goes! But objectively: let me stay (TimJon).

7.) What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

oh fuck, who are you, the cops? (me, looking at my fics in despair)

I think the honor goes to cold water on your tongue. Everything else tends to end in a bittersweet or incomplete ("to be continued") kind of way.

8.) Do you get hate on fics?

Not outside of TMA. It's been absolutely lovely being in Kingsman / Obikin fandoms. I genuinely showed up here low-key scared for my life, and I've been shown nothing but kindness and support.

9.) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Yes, and welcome to the first of the "UH IDK? [awkward shrug/hand wave]" questions because... I have no idea how to answer that. Like, what are the quantifiers here? Level of depth (NO PUN INTENDED) in how explicit it is, or what bits are rubbing against what bits, or like, if I specialize in any particular kind of smut (if there aren't pins for "I WRITE BDSM SMUT", I demand we print them) or— tldr: IDK. Vibe. The vibe kind. oh my god not vibrator vibe brain why are you doing this

10.) Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Nope. I've thought about fusions, though! Like, I feel a fic where Obi-Wan is a Kingsman and picks Anakin as his candidate--maybe it was Qui-Gon's dying request still, and when Obi-Wan became a knight and a seat next opened up, he reluctantly said, FINE.

(Now I'm wondering what knight Obi-Wan would be. Gawain? The original version of him, not the vulgarized mythos of later romances. Which leaves Anakin to be Agravaian, which is pretty perfect tbh. I mean he could also be Mordred since they're all brothers)

11.) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yup! Multiple times. It never stops feeling Not Okay.

12.) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of?

13.) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Nope.

14.) What's your all time favorite ship?

oh fuck you are the cops.

Uh. tbh this is a really hard question until I asked myself: a 100k fic written by an amazing author: what pairing would you be more excited about? And my heart... my heart said Hartwin.

15.) What's a WIP you'd like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Ahh, sadly the post-Vday canon divergence Hartwin fic. I'm told it stands on its own as is, though. So maybe that counts for something?

16.) What are your writing strengths?

I have no idea. You saw what happened during the smut question, I fell apart like a jenga tower! And that was a simple question!

Honestly though, I don't know. That I manage to carry enough vibes to be entertaining? That's pretty good.

17.) What are your writing weaknesses?

I will not clutch the camera and shove my face into it and whisper everything in a voice ragged with despair I will not clutch th—

18.) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Google Translate, my dearest friend. (Unless it's Spanish, I can handle that on my own.)

Granted, if I have a friend who speaks the language, you can bet I'm knocking down their door like a SWAT squad.

19.) First fandom you wrote for?

UH SO FUNNY STORY. I watched IT (the TV series) when I was like, 7. Was very confused for many reasons (partly because I missed the first hour) but also i was a Weird Child, and also Not American.

But! I didn't know it was based off a book written by a dude, so one day I just... started writing the story down in a notebook when I was 8. Because I figured I liked the movie (I assumed it was a movie at the time) so much, why NOT turn it into something to read?

20.) Favorite fic you've ever written?

Beholding's Own. Lightning-in-a-bottle kind of situation, 10+ year break from writing, and also re-entering fandom after said 10+ year long break. It's really hard to live up to that kind of fondness.

From new fics? the devil is a gentleman. I can't help it, this Obi-Wan and Anakin are hilarious. They are so dumb and yet so smart.

I'm supposed to tag people now for this, so imagine me throwing Your Candy of Choice at @irrationalsense, @veloursdor, @kingdomvel and @howlbrooklyn like a fastball. (And anyone else who'd like to do it!)

[strawwritesfic]

Thank you for your patience

Hey all.

I know I haven't posted anything in the way new of fics in months, and this won't change that. But I wanted to give you a very quick update and heartful thanks for sticking with me during this lull.

About two years ago, I graduated from my third round of post-graduate schooling, passed a difficult test, and was finally able to find myself a career. One year ago, I quit the work I was doing with a local freelancing firm and went entirely self-employed--which, as I'm sure you can imagine, required a lot of hustle, a lot of on-the-job learning, and a lot crying when I messed something up and was informed that the screw up entitled an entity in town to throw me in prison.

(They didn't, and they thought it was weird that I thought they would; apparently they have the power to but aren't going to enact over something as minor as my screw up.)

Needless to say, it's been difficult. There's been burnout. When I haven't been working, I needed to clean and exercise. So when I had the rare chance to do something with my free time, I rarely had the spoons to do anything more than watch some YouTube videos. I injured myself a couple years ago, and am dealing with chronic pain resulting from that injury to this day, and it tends to manifest itself when I sit at a desk for long periods of time. Last weekend, my mental health hit a pretty bad low--but a long-time friend said I could vent to her, and I did, and I am feeling much more optimistic.

I have been offered a full-time position doing what I do. The good news is that means a a salary! No more scrambling to get a paycheck when someone cancels on me! Actual medical insurance (if you couldn't tell, I'm based in the USA)! The bad news is that it's an hour long commute, at least until such a time as I can prove to a bank that I make consistent enough money that they'll give me a mortgage.

(Last October, I made about $200 total even though I was scheduled to work almost every day. That's the kind of thing I've been dealing with.)

I'm not really sure what the future is going to hold, but I'd like to get writing again. After my crash and burn on Saturday, I made myself sit down and squeeze out a couple of pages of a Spock one shot (I know it's not what's on my request list, but this Loki thing is being birthed through difficult labor, and I needed to be excited). God willing, I'll be able to get back into a little more. There are things I really want to share with you all, and things I'd love to actually get out for the people that were kind enough to ask them of me.

So from the bottom of my heart: Thank you. Thank you for following even when I haven't produced anything in a long time. Thank for showing enough passion for my work to request things. Thank you for the reblogs. Thank you for the replies asking for parts twos. Thank you for the recommendation shoutouts in posts on your blog. Although I rarely respond (because I don't want to be seen as bragging), I look at each and every one of them. When things are difficult, sometimes I'll pull out my little collection of especially kind comments, and they help me feel a little better.

Sincerely,

Straw

[zealund]

may highlights

it's friday again. I'm content. I just finished mopping my floors and am laying on my bean bag (best purchase ever btw - 100% do not regret).

summer is enroute and although that's exciting I don't have many expectations. found out the other day that we have Juneteenth off which is awesome so I requested the day before off as well - whoohoo to short weeks.

I also requested the day before independence day off as well but I'm guessing my current manager is waiting approval on that because I didn't see it get approved just yet.

may has been interesting.

some highlights include:

*social media cleanse

I once again deactivated my youtube account. I've grown in followers but because I don't interact w/ anyone that follows me (I turned off my comments) I think it affects things.

I often feel conflicted in my approach to this because sometimes I'll really be in the mood to make content and then other times I feel like being a total hermit and regret being so public about things.

on one end, turning off the comments has helped my mental health. I've realized that I don't care to socialize on social media - I know that's a core purpose to it but I really don't care for that aspect of social media.

I love being able to look back at my posts + reminisce. it's also fun sometimes to edit things the way you want it to appear and then to watch it back after you've put all that work in.

rn I'm finding inspiration again and whether or not I come back just depends on my mood and how I feel.

*work bestie being fired :(

my heart sunk when I saw that my only friend at work's slack was deactivated. I hadn't even noticed it at first, it was another coworker that had pinged me asking me if she had quit. I told him that I was just as surprised as he was and knew nothing.

I remember texting her immediately asking her if she had quit the job. she responded a little later saying that she had gotten fired due to performance metrics.

I was gutted.

It really didn't even sink in until I went into office again and she wasn't there. It's always so nice to have someone to go to when you just want to shoot the shit. I couldn't do that anymore.

It made me realize that this was the end of our experience together at work. no more random giggle sessions + shit talking up at the roof top about things we couldn't stand, ugh. it was rough.

granted, we can always hang out outside of work but there's nothing like having a bestie at work - it just makes you feel safe amidst the shit show occurring at work. sigh*

*hosting dinner at my place <3

now w/ that said I knew that the right move was inviting her over to my sister hang out I had been planning for. the night would consist of drinks, food, + scrapbooking as the main activity.

I made lumpias for the first time and followed this youtuber's recipe + it came out soooo good - the next time I make them, I'm using less oil lol otherwise they came out so crisp + tasty, definitely going to be a potluck favorite I'll bring.

this was the first time in a long time that I ever felt like I could fully let my guard down and laugh and just BE. I knew that when I was sitting there with my sister, my SIL + my work bestie (even tho she doesn't work there anymore) that I was safe.

it was a refreshing feeling, one I've needed for so long + that was healing in so many ways.

*applying for underwriting #rejectiontherapy

I initially expressed my interest in underwriting back in December. my manager came from underwriting but I think I was mostly interested in it because I thought that would be the next career step for me, not necessarily out of genuine interest although I'm sure it felt like it in the moment.

I knew they played a huge role, a purposeful one so at first I wasn't at all intimidated w/ getting a set interview although the job posting was helpful for motivation.

I started pushing out high numbers again + I saw light and hope again, it was promising.

there was definitely some weirdness before and even after the interview that left a bad taste in my mouth and made me never want to get into underwriting anymore. I don't want to get into details but I really did pour my heart out into that interview only to find out weeks later it was given to someone else on my team, someone newer.

it was a slap in the face, yet again because time and time again I would see people get promoted + wonder on what basis? if I'm constantly being praised for my work ethic and my numbers why am I not getting promoted? why are people that have been here a lot shorter than I have been, getting promoted before me? how is that fair?

I spent a lot of time reflecting on the rejection and want to believe it wasn't personal but let's be real, it 100% was and that's why I refuse to put myself in that position again. for now, that dream is dead and I'm okay with that.

*getting 100% quality score for the first time

along w/ producing the most LP2 apps, I also managed to get 100% quality score which is something I have yet to achieve. I had mentioned this in my underwriting interview (interestingly) and used that as an example about being super hard on myself when I got one defect and my goal was to get none.

Interestingly I think the rejection from UW propelled me to get 100% quality. it was gratifying in its own right for sure but in all honesty, I worked hard to get to where I'm at. it wasn't by luck or popularity that I've managed to be good at my job, it was through hard work and pushing myself day in and day out.

I'm deeply proud of myself for coming out of that rut.

*applying for quality analyst

yesterday my ex manager reached out telling me to apply for the quality analyst role and tbh I was pretty mild about it although the pay range was a lot more appealing than what UW was proposing - tbh that was one of the biggest reasons why I didn't really see the UQ rejection as a loss, the pay was only a dollar more than what I'm already making + for how much of a role they play in the company, you would think you'd get paid a hell of a lot more *eyeroll

ANYWAY - I submitted my application yesterday and have an interview set for Monday.

it's not everything but it's something. + if I don't get this role, there's really nothing left to lose lol I know I work my ass off, I know I am capable + idgaf about how popular I am or not.

I refuse to kiss anyone's ass to get promoted.

BRING ON JUNE BABBYYYYYY!

[timetraveltragedy]

Journal Entry #1

Writing by hand is too inefficient. So I'm trying anonymous blogging posting like it's 2005. lol

So it's been a week since I started therapy. Self therapy because yay capitalism. I think it's been a okay week. Some wins, some losses. I read through the script from the play I am sound designing for. I figured out what kind of phone sound they're looking for. There's some crowd noises I'm a little concerned about because I absolutely hate trying to find good crowd noises. It's damn near impossible. But I'm not entirely sure what they are looking for in that regard. So I think the move is to maybe read over it one more time, find a good phone noise to show them, and then talk it over with them at one of their rehearsals this week especially in terms of what they are expecting in terms of crowd noises. And then if I do that during their break between scenes or at the beginning of the rehearsal, then I can sit there on my laptop if I charge my earbuds and work on finding some options for them. I just have to decide, which day I want to go in. Definitely don't think it should be Monday because I have a date after with one of the cast members. Maybe Tuesday, but I think I should let the date breathe a bit, so maybe Wednesday is the good day.

My therapy workbook went over the topic of values, and determining what you value and how much you value those things. Then determining if you are acting on those values at the level of which you supposedly value them. One of the things I ranked highly were romantic relationships in terms of how much I valued them. However, I don't actually pursue romantic relationships literally ever. I used to once a year hop on the dating apps and try to talk to and date people on there, but now I don't have a smartphone, so that's not an option. Also literally every person I've encountered on dating apps for the most part aren't seriously looking for a connection.

So at first, I was like fine, I'll start going to the bar like a normal person. But I was too scared to go by myself, so I invited someone to come with as friends. And they said yeah sure but not till March because they're in a play right now, and don't have time to go out. Which fair. I said March then despite knowing that I would be working sound for a play in March and I probably wouldn't have the time. lol

But then I decided to do something even braver, but also safer feeling. There was a girl I saw at an audition back in the fall, who upon watching her audition, I knew I had to see her again. Meet her, really. I didn't know her name, but she was beautiful and the way she played the villain character, hottest thing I'd ever seen in real life.

I ran into her again in January during auditions at the same theater. This time I got to learn her name and found out she was probably queer given that she complimented my lanyard (lez flag) and got excited when I told her the book I was reading was a sapphic retelling. This is how I learned I might have a shot.

Then she got cast in the play we were auditioning for and I didn't. The cast and director and stage manager came to see the show I was in during January at that theater. She was there. I talked to her a little after the show. She seemed friendly though I couldn't tell if it was more of a person in the arts type of way or actual potential interest in me. We hugged, but I got a hug from everyone from the play she was cast in that night.

I'd started following some of the cast and director & stage manager from this girl's show. We'll give her a name. Call her Jane. And then Jane found my instagram and followed me. Then I requested to follow her back, and then she accepted. Which brings me to Tuesday night.

I decided I wanted to slide into her DMs. Not in a weird way. I used the play she's in which we'll call Bridesmaids. I said "Hey congrats again on being cast in Bridesmaids!" and something else I can't remember. I think maybe I asked how the rehearsals were going. She responded saying they were going great and thanked me for the congrats and told me how fantastic I was in the show I had been in in January. So I thanked her and asked her about the character she played. "You were cast to play, Frances, yes?" She said "Hehe yes." and probably something else. And then I said that that was really cool and I wondered how that was playing a character so different from herself. And then she said the funny thing is, the character and her younger self were actually very similar. And then we ended up on the topic of religion because Frances is a very conservative religious character. I found out she was "spiritual" and no longer super Christian. And we found despite the on the surface differences between the way we view religion, we actually view religion quite similarly. And then I needed sleep because it was 11 o'clock at night and I had work in the morning. So I capped the conversation there, not really sure where I would or could go from there.

I wasn't sure if I should text her the next day. Wait a couple days, see if she reaches out to me or what. And then I did what we all do in the modern age, I asked google for advice. I found some articles and the general thought was, the early you ask someone out the better. The only time you can ask to early is if you've never had a conversation with them, which I had already checked that box off the previous night and the conversation had gone well. So I hit her up. I said hey I don't know if you're single but I really enjoyed our conversation last night, would you like to get coffee or drinks with me sometime? I would like to get to know you more.

And I was like hella nervous about it. But it's really not that big of a deal. I projected confidence like the blogs said. It's not a dumb question even if she said no. And we don't even know each other yet, so there's nothing to be embarrassed about even if she said no and even though we would have to see each other again because of running in the same circles. But with therapy, I'm trying not to be so obsessive. And so I didn't open instagram until the next morning because it mattered to me too much the night before what her response was. In the morning I was more calm.

And I opened it to her phone number. She said she would be honored and offered me her phone number to talk more about making a plan. We ended up making a plan for Monday, now tomorrow. We had a pretty decently long conversation Thursday morning because my work had pushed back my start time due to the weather. We talked about our morning and our jobs and books. We didn't really get much farther than that as once I started work it became hard to keep in touch. And then I sent her a couple message responses to a couple of her messages 1 o'clock in the afternoon on Friday and then I didn't hear absolutely anything. I didn't know what to make of this, but I knew she was out of town this weekend, so I didn't read too much into it. I actually took it way better than I typically do.

Last night, I watched "He's Just Not Into You" which basically solidified in my mind that she just wasn't that into me, and she'd moved on. And I was sad, but understanding. We didn't know each other yet, that's what the date was for so it's whatever.

But then this morning I was thinking about it. And my instincts, which I had been ignoring up until this point was that it didn't add up. She was expressive and seemed excited to respond to my messages including the last messages I received from her. It didn't make sense that she was suddenly disinterested. So I finally messaged her asking if she received my message responses from Friday. Given the fact that my phone isn't a smartphone, this was a real possibility and not just wishful thinking.

Very soon after I got a response. She apologized saying that she was away for the weekend and hadn't been paying much attention to her phone and then she replied to multiple of the things I said on Friday. I told her no worries, I was just confused on what had happened. But I meant to ask where she was going on her trip this weekend. Is she having a good time? And she said she was and asked if I knew that she was poly from her instagram stories. I said I had guessed and though I had questions of course, I also figured it would be easier for her to explain and me to ask questions at our date on Monday. She agreed and let me know she was on a trip with two of her partners.

I have no other information other than that and what I had googled. I get jealous in friendships, I don't know if polyamory is something I can do. But it's just a first date. No promises of anything more. I just need to remember to be open and honest about how I feel. Even if how I feel is "I don't know how to feel". When I read about it, it makes a lot of sense. And it sounds nice. I just don't know if I'm built for it. But I need to work on being less of a jealous person anyway, so ya know.

I have a tendency to be whoever I think the other person wants me to be in any given moment. So I think the thing I will have to focus on the most is reminding myself to show up authentically and allowing myself to feel whatever I feel regardless of whether or not it's what I think the other person wants me to feel. Because that is going to be the only way that this will work if it can work at all.

I think it would be fucking weird of me to show up with a notebook with questions and write down the answers, but also I think it could be helpful because my memory is poor, and I want to make sure I remember enough that I would continue to understand it beyond the first date especially if I decide that I am interested in another one and if she is also interested in another one.

I have been putting off hanging out with my brother. Because he's ten and we are so different. I feel so bad about it. Maybe I will try to hang out with him next weekend. But I have a lot going on on Saturday.

[carolchung-eng]

Dr. Strangelove (How I learned to stop worrying and love GenAI)

OK, I tried to ignore GenAI (generative AI) because I feared the consequences of its existence (becoming obsolete or lesser valued as a software engineer or putting non-engineers out of work). But I finally decided AI is not going away so I might as well understand what it is good for. This is a high level post about my initial observations with ChatGPT (v3.5) and Large Language Models (LLMs) in general.

ChatGPT is amazing with language (Natural Language Processing - NLP). I've been testing it on a variety of tasks where the most complex was a request to organize unstructured text into a specific database table. The results were mixed (many of the terms which I wanted to parse were domain-specific and the model had not been trained in that domain). However, it can do simple text parsing (like identify book title and author pairs in a long string of text that includes information that is non-book related) much better than I would expect (even when the input data format does not follow a specific pattern).

ChatGPT v3.5 is not capable of multi-modal input/output. When I requested a rap beat in a prompt, the response was that it could not produce audio (although this is an expected feature in v4). It did produce a rather entertaining rap for me (in text), which I was rather surprised by. In future versions of GenAI (which could include other LLMs), I am excited for interacting with AI via speech and getting text output (or vice versa or other media formats).

Efficiency - When working with an LLM, I think an initial challenge will be to find the most efficient model that will help you accomplish the task at hand. My first thought is that a smaller model might be more cost-effective in terms of running tasks against the model and doing things like fine-tuning and/or pre-training the model if those are necessary.

Efficiency2 - Another cost consideration will be where the LLM is hosted. In one course I am taking, the course is partnered with AWS as a potential host. But it seems like LLM hosting/infrastructure will be a competitive space for the future.

Potential uses for software engineers (code documentation and testing software). When I did testing with GitHub copilot, I saw that when I wrote comments before writing a function, the predictions for the function logic were pretty good. When I put prompts into ChatGPT about whether it was able to write documentation for functions, it responded that this was a capability. I didn't test this out but it seems logical. For proprietary software, using an LLM for internal documentation would just require hosting the LLM privately (I believe). I'm also a bit curious about how an LLM might be used to write automated tests (or to update existing automated tests based on small/medium code changes). When I asked ChatGPT about its capabilities around unit tests and integration tests, it responded positively but I did not test this extensively. So I do not know how specific or high level its test responses would be.

I was so surprised at how well ChatGPT understands language that I started to instinctively refer to it as "you" within the prompts and it understood the "you" as referencing itself. This is a strange existence but I think that LLMs can be seen as tools to handle some of the tedious or lower priority work that are "nice to have" or time-consuming.

Resources:

ChatGPT

Generative AI with Large Language Models (Coursera by DeepLearning.AI, AWS)

[soupbabe]

I saw that you were looking for requests 👁️👁️ can I request Calvin weir-fields (because I am down horribly for him) with plus size reader? Bonus point if they have a darker style

Calvin Weir-Fields with a Plus Size! Reader

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THE DAY I GET A DANO REQUEST AGAIN I WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE THIS <33 there's a lil bit of a mention of alt style! Reader, but it's just scattered throughout<33

Warning: Kind of a mix of pre-Ruby and post-Ruby Calvin, my need for Possessive! Calvin won, minor mention of fatphobia but not by Calvin (it's at the very end so dw) <3

- I honestly think he's attracted to you because you stand out against everyone else in his usual circles

- Your size, your style, everything about you stood out to Calvin. It immediately made him want to know you

- Though he is a bit of an anxious loser, so he mostly just "subtly" stared at you until you asked him if he needed anything

- The talking stage was pretty rough: your confidence and spikey collars intimidated Calvin greatly, but he always found himself missing you

- Regardless if you two put on the s/o label or not, Calvin would be so clingy after work

- Every time he brushed you off when you checked in on him after office was painful, but he knew he'd lose his focus around you

- But when he can, Calvin is immediately getting into bed with you/joining you on the couch and placing his head on your thick thighs

- They're so soft, literally Calvin could lay his head on them forever, favorite part of you fr

- His second favorite part of you is your tummy but that's a completely different convo

- Head empty only the image of Calvin reading while laying on your lap while you play with his hair <3

- Waking up with Calvin is a task in of itself

- He keeps his hands around your torso, fingers kneeding into your soft sides as he begs you to stay in bed longer

- You're just so warm and comfortable to be around, he'll kiss along your shoulder and to your soft chin to convince you

- ,,,it usually works

- I can't tell if him showing you off at parties is putting his ego aside or absolutely enhancing it

- Literally he's so proud of getting a lover that looks like you that you're with him everywhere he goes, you're on his arm 24/7

- It also doesn't help his possessive nature: you're his and everybody absolutely has to know it

- Especially when you look so good in clothes hugging your curves just right, he knows people would want you and he revels in the fact that they just can't

- I also think his parents adore you

- There's no doubt that Calvin's mom and step dad are body positive, they see your body as bountiful and beautiful

- Literally I can imagine his mother finding new clothes for you to bring home, and you modeling for Calvin

- Everything given to you is brighter, loose, and sheer

- It's a bit odd at first, seeing you in anything but black, but Calvin would be lying if he said that you didn't look good

- Has him drooling fr if the clothing shows your chest and fuller stomach from underneath

- Please only wear this in private as I said Calvin is a tummy man and prefers if he can be the only one to see it

- I think the only inconvenience would be his gym rat brother, Harry

- He will say anything that's on his mind, doesn't matter if they're less than ideal and rude

- And no matter which way you respond to his usual "I'm only looking out for your health" brand fatphobia, Calvin has your back

- Whether you tell him off yourself, to which Calvin is looking at you with stars in his eyes and is ready to call him out too

- Or if you prefer to have him say something first, Calvin musters the energy to be there for you

- Everything about you is special to Calvin, so perfect, that he's actually considering to put effort into the relationship /lh /hj

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

RULES

So it's about time I finally updated my rules page. I'm going to keep this one updated as things come up that I never considered or noticed, so be sure to check back every now and then if you're unsure about something! You can also send an ask if you're uncertain about something, and I'll decide if I'm comfortable with it or not. UvU

Now, on to the rules! I will update as things come up.

1) NO NSFW OR UNDERAGE REQUESTS!!!! That means no explicit content at all or things like teenagers drinking alcohol. If the character is not canonically 21+ years old (which is the legal drinking age I grew up hearing), I am not comfortable writing those situations.

1a) Teen mom pregancies with a female!Yuu or an adult female!Yuu (aka they were already pregnant before they arrived in Twisted Wonderland ) will mainly be considered if the fluff and found family opportunities are good.

2) Fanart and fanfics are absolutely welcome! I just aodre seeing what you're all inspired to create, it makes me so happy. QvQ Whether it's a silly quick doodle or a complicated piece, I'm just happy to see everyone so excited and creative~! >w<

3) Please be patient with me when it comes to responding to asks. I have a busy life outside the internet, and writing is one of the ways I decompress when my muse wants to work with me. =w=

4) NO DRAMA. I know there's been some going around social media lately involving Twisted Wonderland (I've gotten a few messages in my inbox about it), and while I appreciate any warnings of toxic people, I do not want nor need drama. I've seen and been dragged into more than enough drama over the past decade to last a lifetime, and I'm just...exhausted. My life can already be stressful and dramatic enough with work and family shenanigans, I don't want to get caught up/dragged into drama that is going to stress me out. All I wanna do is write stories and have fun daydreaming about the things I like. Please respect my boundaries, and I'll respect yours.

5) Ortho and Cheka will always be seen and written in the platonic sense. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. >:/ (Unless it's mini!Yuu and Cheka having a cute child crush on each other, in which case that is acceptable because little kids are adorable)

6) No soliciting for commissions! I've stated this in a post back around December, but please don't do this to me or anyone else. There is more than one way to advertise your commissions like drawing fanart and posting a link to your pieces--NOT going into people's DMs like a door-to-door salesperson. Also, saying you want to draw my character(s) as fanart, but then suggesting your commission prices to me isn't "fanart" it's literally just a commission. Fanart is drawing something as a gift to the person it's intended for. (I wouldn't have said this if it wasn't something that had come up during that time...)

7) When making requests, please specify the preferred pronouns! If you don't, I'll just make the character gender-neutral by default.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, but I will update this list as time goes on!

[bearsbeetsbeskar]

random updates

life has been, and continues to be hectic lately and I feel somewhat bad that I'm not posting on here very frequently. debating the idea of putting a queue together just because?

Also since finishing and posting chapter 4 of Joel x therapist! reader, I've been feeling very unmotivated to write in general. I know it shouldn't make me feel crappy and get me down but it does. I'm not a writer by any means and I don't give a shit about the number of notes or engagement that my writing gets, but it just feels like it takes a lot of dedicated energy to sit down and get the words out. Once the words are flowing though? no problem at all lol.

I have started working on a Frankie fic that has been rotting inside my brain for the past 3 weeks, and I'm excited about that. But again, sitting down to actually get some writing done is a challenge UGH. I feel like I have no right to complain cause I'm not working right now and I don't have lots of other stuff going on.

Amongst other life stuff, my mom has made it past her second round of chemo treatment and her third is coming up in the beginning of july. It's been really rough on her but she's taking it one day at a time and I'm trying to support her while also taking care of myself.

I did an interview for the student placement I'll be doing during my grad school program starting in September. It will be at a private therapy practice located at a farm that does equine assisted therapy which is so exciting 🙌🏽. I'll be taking on a small caseload of clients, shadowing psychologists and other mental health professionals and running equine therapy sessions while I'm there! It honestly seems too good to be true, I can't wait to start school at this point.

I also got a tattoo! My first tattoo, and I fucking love it. I'll post a picture here or maybe do a separate post for it. It's still healing but I'm so glad I got it.

I wondered what people might think if I was open to taking writing requests for drabbles or oneshots for Pedro characters? I want to write more for other beloved Pedro boys and I feel like it might be easier to get my creative juices flowing if I have a direct prompt to work with. Let me know.

And as always thank you to my fucking amazing mutuals who keep me sane on this site, I'm sorry if I don't respond to messages or disappear from time to time. I love you all more than you know, and I thank you for engaging with me at all ❤️

nicole 🌹

tattoo below

this is a not so great pic but maybe I'll post better ones later. here it is! I love it so so so incredibly much, it's exactly what I wanted. Yes, I am a scorpio lol. So much shit has happened in my life within the last 6 months that I feel like it's brought a period of transformation, trusting my intuition, and sticking true to my goals and the things that make me happy. 🦂❤️

[beels-burger-babe]

Beelzebub's Very Bad No Good Day

***So this is the new format in which I'll be answering requests. In my experience, actual posts get spread further than asks do, so this will hopefully help with that. ANYWAY, I am crazy excited about this request as a major Beel simp and YES I will proudly do this request! Thank you @sinnoman for blessing me with it. -B*** Summary: Beel doesn't get anything to eat one day, and it doesn't go well for anybody.

From the moment Beelzebub woke up, he knew that today was going to be a terrible day. For starters, he had apparently raided the fridge in his sleep the night before, so there was not a crumb left in the house for anyone to make breakfast with. Most of the others had gone and grabbed something from Hell's Kitchen on their way to class, but poor Beel had slept through his alarm due to the food coma his nighttime snack had put him in and had to rush to RAD. The entire school was talking about the monster that they believed had awoken beneath the school. Teachers were on edge ready to evacuate the premises for the earthquake they believed to be happening. Beel avoided eye contact, blushing as his empty stomach continued to rumble and roar throughout the day. He ended up eating a few pencils just to get it to quiet down and even that didn't have much effect. The Avatar of Gluttony nearly cried tears of relief when the lunch bell rang. But it seemed that fate was not his friend that day. He was going to order a gargantuan-sized Little Devil mango slushy, a side of Hellfire curry rice, fried shadow bat, and 108 seed salad and the main course of at least twenty shadow hog burgers with three servings of caramel shadow tart for dessert. Beel was drooling at just the thought of it. He was almost at the ordering station when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Beel growled and turned around, baring his teeth at whoever dared to disturb him.

Belphegor narrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Woah. Beel, relax. It's just me. We've got a student council meeting, and Lucifer has threatened to take away supper from whoever skips out." Beelzebub scoffed as the air around him darkened at the mention of someone taking food away from him. "I'd like to see him try." Belphie raised an eyebrow at his twin's uncharacteristically grumpy behaviour. "Are you alright, Beel?" As though to answer his question, Beel's stomach let out another loud roar, causing several students to flinch and Beel to scowl in frustration. "I'm hungry." Belphie's frown deepened. Beel was always hungry, but he didn't usually let it get to him like this. The younger twin rifled through his own bag before pulling out an obviously full paper bag. "You can have my lunch if you want. I ate a little bit of it during class and swiped a bagel from Mammon during the first period, so I'm not all that-" Before he could finish Beel ripped the bag out of Belphie's hands and devoured it, bag and all. Belphie blinked at his now empty hand and chuckled as Beel chewed. "Man, you must be starving huh?"

Beelzebub merely grunted and continued to chew before swallowing down the small meal. He glanced back at the lineup in the cafeteria and put a hand on his stomach as he thought about the lunch he should be enjoying. Belphie nudged him. "Come on, big guy. We got to get to that meeting. The sooner we get it over with, the more likely it is that we'll end early and you might be able to grab something before class starts again." Only the meeting was not short and quick like Belphie had said it might be. Diavolo wanted everyone to come up with an idea for a school fundraiser, and Lucifer was arguing with Asmodeus on what was and was not appropriate. To make matters worse, you were unable to attend as, according to Mammon, your charms professor had asked you to stay behind afterwards to discuss your progress in the class. The bickering on top of the lack of food in his stomach was giving Beel a migraine and the longer he sat there, the more irritable he had become. Eventually, it became too much and he snapped. "ENOUGH!" he bellowed, flipping the table as he stood. "No one cares about the stupid fundraiser anyway and you're just wasting all of our time arguing over something that will inevitably fall apart and cause an even bigger mess, just like it always does!" "Beelzebub! Watch your tone in front of-" "Shut it, Lucifer!" his brother's gaped at him in shock as he snarled at their elder. "I am sick and tired of you pushing us all around and punishing us when the slightest thing goes wrong just because you-" Beel poked Lucifer's chest hard enough to make him take a step back, "won't take responsibility for your own mistakes!" "Oh shit," Mammon whispered under his breath, as Lucifer's eyes narrowed and his body tensed in defence. The second-born quickly squeezed his way between the two of them and spread his arms to try and create some distance. "Okay! Tensions are high. People are upset. But this is not the place to brawl it out." he glanced over at Lucifer who looked like he was a second away from stringing him up to the ceiling. "Might I remind ya Lord Diavolo is still in the room?" Lucifer looked over at Diavolo, who appeared to be both hurt and concerned by Beelzebub's words, before sighing and fixing his composure. He gave Beel a hard look. "Obviously something is upsetting you, but we can discuss this at home. For the time being, I recommend you work on calming yourself and clearing your head." Beel just growled at him before stomping out of the student council room. He had been about to re-enter the cafeteria again when the bell rang signalling the end of lunch hour. Beelzebub felt his eye twitch before his demon form burst into existence. He let out a deafening scream as he grabbed a table and threw it across the room (students still seated on it, included). Students were yelling and scrambling like mice as the large demon rampaged through the halls. He tore the locked grate off of the serving station and grabbed the nearest server by the scruff of the collar, causing them to squeak in fear. "I'm hungry," Beel rumbled lowly as the demon trembled in his hands. "Get me something to eat now or I will not hesitate to eat you." "R-R-Right away, Beelzeb-b-bub." Beel carelessly dropped the demon, who scattered off to gather as much food as they could. He began pacing like a caged animal. Having been alerted by all the noise, his brothers and Diavolo rushed into the nearly destroyed cafeteria. Diavolo's jaw dropped. "Beelzebub, what's the meaning of all this?" Beel's famished brain didn't acknowledge Diavolo as an authority at the moment. Instead, he was yet another person trying to keep him from eating. "I need food. NOW!" Lucifer's eyes widened in realization as he whispered something to Diavolo. The prince nodded and took a step back. "I'm sure the cooks are doing all they can to get you food right away. But I need you to control yourself before I am forced to take action." Satan had his phone out and was urgently texting someone, as Belphie moved forward.

"You'll get your food shortly Beel. You just need to wai-" "I don't want to wait!!" There was a part of Beelzebub's brain that was aware he was acting like a child. But his stomach physically hurt from how empty it was. He was tired. He was starving. He didn't have the patience for pleasantries. "I've barely eaten anything all day, and people keep staring and talking about me because my stomach just will not stop growling and I'm so hungry that I can barely think straight! I hate it! But I know it won't go away unless I eat, so I NEED TO EAT!" The brothers looked at Beel in shock. They knew that he ate a lot, but they always passed it off as just another quirk that made him Beel. They didn't know it bothered him like this. They thought back on all the instances where Beel had stated that he was hungry out of nowhere, always with a distressed look on his face. Every single time they had brushed him off. Before any of them could respond, you casually walked into the war zone that was the cafeteria. "Alright Satan, what's so urgent that you needed me so badly?" The room fell quiet as everyone's attention snapped over to you and you took in the situation. It didn't take long for you to connect the dots.

You immediately began to rush over to Beelzebub; Mammon stepped forward to stop you. "Woah, MC! I don't think that's a good idea right now!"

You ignored him and continued to make your way to Beel. Seeing you, the small human that you were, made Beel realize just how reckless he had been acting. He held out his hands to stop you and took a step away. "You should listen to Mammon, MC. I-I haven't eaten all day and I-" "You haven't eaten all day?! Oh god, this is worst than I thought." Beel watched as you slid the oversized backpack that he had seen you carry around RAD with you every day off your back and begin to dump out the contents. In a second, dozens of bags of chips, candy, fruits, and other snacks spilled across the floor in front of the two of you. Beel didn't waste a single moment. He instantly began consuming the snacks, causing you to smile happily. "Wha-What?! MC?! Why the hell do you have that much food on ya?!" Mammon sputtered as he cautiously began to approach you. You shrugged. "Beel gets upset when he's hungry, and I don't like it when he's upset. So I stocked up on some of his favourite snacks a while back and always keep them on me just in case," Beel paused his eating to look up at you in awe, "He can't help that he's always hungry. It's not like he asked to be the Avatar of Gluttony." Suddenly there were a pair of arms wrapped around your waist. Lucifer, Levi, and Mammon called out your name as Beel pulled you tightly against his chest. You just grinned and hugged the friendly giant back. "Thank you," he whispered softly into your hair, his arms tightening around you just a little more. "There's nothing to thank me for." As Beel finally began to calm down, the cooks came out with platters of food and shakily laid them out around you and Beel before taking cover back into the kitchen. Seeing that the threat had passed, the other brothers began to approach as well. "You know Beel, I didn't know you had that much pent-up anger inside of you. It was terrifying!" Asmodeus chirped as he plopped down beside the two of you.

"Yeah! You were just like the antagonist in My Boyfriend Turned Into a Cannabilistic Rage Monster, And Now I Have to Stop Him From Devouring The Whole City!!!" Levi began to ramble about specific scenes from the show that matched perfectly with Beel's rampage, causing Beel to blush as he munched on a burger. Belphie sighed and elbowed Beel as he took his seat at his side. "We'll have to make sure that MC's always around you. Just in case you know?" he smiled softly, before looking at his twin with a more serious expression. "You should've told me about all that stuff you said earlier. I had no idea you felt that away about your appetite." Beel looked away uncomfortably as he took another bite of his food and avoided the question. You snuggled closer to him, to provide him with some comfort. Satan tapped his chin as he watched the group. "I'm sure we could talk with Barbatos and come up with some sort of high-protein shake or bar that would better satisfy you. That way you wouldn't have to eat as much." Lucifer glanced over at Diavolo, silently asking if it was a possibility. The prince smiled warmly. "I'll have Barabatos begin working on something right away." Forgetting all about class and the anger that had previously consumed him, Beel looked around at his family. A warm feeling blossomed in his stomach as he felt content with the rare care and affection that they were openly showing. Maybe it had something to do with the thirty burgers he had already ate, but for just a second, Beel didn't feel so hungry anymore. ***Boy that got a little angsty there for a second, but I hope this was to your liking @sinnoman! I definitely enjoyed writing this one, and I think it made me fall in love with my boy Beel even more 🥰*** TAGLIST: @vampwiire @bunna-does-stuff

[hanemiso]

Operation: Dairy For Dazai

>>>a dazai osamu x reader<<<

request: "omg i love your post about Dazai and his possibility of having lactose intolerance hahaha, i wish you could do a fanfic out from that"

a/n: um this is such a great idea??? this was so much fun to write omg i hope y'all like it! also i know dazai doesn't necessarily drink coffee with milk and sugar/creamer, but for the sake of the story he does! also sorry if the gif looks weird, i couldn't find his weird little run anywhere else.

synopsis: no one has seen dazai drink milk or consume dairy of any kind...it's up to the agency to figure out if dazai is lactose intoleralnt or not!

warnings: one swear word, dazai not being able to handle dairy

"hey atsushi, you ever notice that dazai doesn't consume dairy?"

"what do you mean, y/n?" atsushi asks, glancing up at you from the computer.

"think about it. have you ever seen dazai drink milk? eat cheese? buy ice cream?" you press on, raising your brows.

atsushi takes a second to think before responding with, "now that you mention it, no i haven't...why are you asking anyway?"

"i think dazai is lactose intolerant."

you now have atsushi's full attention as he rolls closer to your desk and furrows his brows. he looks around the room for the brunette you're talking about before turning back to you, "you think so? i don't know...maybe it's like a dietary thing."

you deadpan, "you really think the man who goes out of his way to try new attempts at committing suicide--the one who came into the office with a hallucinogenic mushroom from a random mountain--is concerned with his own nutrition?"

atsushi goes silent and nods his head in agreement.

"come on, atsushi. i mean, why would that be the one thing out of his entire diet that he'd choose to cut out?"

"that's true, i've seen the kinds of things he eats...but why is this something you're interested in?"

"because, atsushi, the thought of THE dazai osamu even having one slight weakness--and the fact that it very well may be dairy, of all things-- is amusing. you don't find it interesting? that he can survive things like bullet wounds and getting kidnapped without any problem, but a glass of milk could completely ruin him?"

atsushi was beginning to take interest in what you were talking about. you had a point, he couldn't deny that. they don't know much about dazai and his life as it is. just as it began clicking in his brain, kunikida walks over to your desk to tell you both to get back to work. at the sound of his footsteps, you turn towards him and before he can say anything at all, you ask him the same question as atsushi. kunikida has a smiliar reaction and response to atsushi, which just adds to the curiosity of dazai's possible dairy problem.

"i don't pay attention to that idiot's diet anyway, nor do i care." he says matter-of-factly.

anyone could tell that kunikida was slightly interested, just by the way he was continuing to linger by your desk as you continued talking about it with atsushi. soon enough, tanizaki had joined the conversation; then ranpo and kenji, and soon everyone in the agency other than fukuzawa. everyone was huddled around your desk, sharing memories of dazai's lack of dairy consumption. it was then decided that this theory of dazai being lactose intolerant would be put to the test when dazai returned to the office.

ranpo had come up with the idea, it wasn't too elaborate but a simple plan that could trick even the likes of dazai into drinking a glass of milk. during the discussion of dazai's dietary habits, it was also brought to everyone's attention by kunikida that it seems dazai doesn't have a high spice tolerance either. with that in mind, the plan was for the agency to have a joint dinner tonight, with curry on the menu tonight; spicy curry to be exact. dazai always flirts with you in the office, so it was your job to distract him by indulging in his pick-up lines and such. once he takes a bite and realizes it's too spicy for him, he'd try to find water to alleviate the pain, but coincidentally there is no water in sight. because of this, he'd be forced to drink the glass of milk you hand him. of course, if this didn't work, for dessert you'd give him a cup of coffee with milk and sugar (he uses non-dairy creamer in his coffee anyway).

you and kyouka set up a table to put the bowls of curry on, while atsushi and kunikida began bringing in the curry. tanizaki, naomi, and ranpo were in charge of getting the desserts to really sell the image of a nice gathering. kenji and yosano were in charge of tinkering with the water pipes to close off any possibility of access to water. this task was treated with such care, as any mission brought into the agency would be. each and every one of you were interested in learning about this side of dazai; are you going the extra mile for such a minuscule detail of someone's life? yes, but will it be amusing to find out the truth? also yes.

soon enough, dazai is spotted out the window. the truth is about to be revealed, and you are all nervous but excited.

"remember guys, act natural! operation: dairy for dazai starts now!" you exclaim quietly.

you can hear everyone take a deep breath and begin "talking" amongst themselves as dazai walks in. he stops in his tracks as he eyes the table holding all the bowls of curry and widens his eyes in surprise.

"oh? what's this?" he asks, gesturing to the table.

"y/n suggested having dinner in the agency tonight, so we got some curry and desserts." atsushi explains.

"have a bowl, dazai-kun." you smile at him as you hand him the bowl of spicy curry.

"ah, you're too nice, my belladonna!" he exclaims and grabs the bowl.

so far so good, you think.

you can feel the tension in the room as everyone waits for dazai to take a bite. the conversations carry on amongst people, but no one was truly paying attention to what was being said. the gazes of each member of the agency shifted to dazai as he raised the spoon up to his mouth. you could hear the sound of everyone in the room holding their breaths, even kunikida was sweating.

once the spoon had been placed in his mouth, everyone froze in place. you and atsushi tried to pretend to not be paying much attention to dazai, but it was so hard not to when all of a sudden he stopped chewing. you both slowly turn your head towards him and see his eyes go wide once again. he hurries to the nearest trashcan and spits out the spoonful, quickly turning and looking for a cup of water on the table.

"w-what's wrong, dazai-san?" atsushi asks, also sweating.

"h-hot! spicy curry! atsushi-kun, i need water! please!" dazai exclaims.

you run to the table and pretend to look for a cup of water before grabbing the glass of milk and hurrying towards dazai.

"sorry dazai-kun, i couldn't find any water, but i heard milk helps with the pain!" you hold out the glass of milk.

it feels like time stops as dazai sits there, breathing shallows breaths in attempts to stop the fire in his mouth, and contemplating whether he wants to try his luck with continuing to gasp for air or drinking the milk. he hates suffering, after all. in his mind, all that matters at this moment is extinguishing the flames dancing on his tongue. he grabs the glass, just as planned, and drinks a couple big gulps. everyone is now turned to him, asking if he's okay.

"i'm...fine." he says between pants.

now it was only a matter of time. the dinner continued as normal, but dazai wasn't as social as usual. he sat down with you and atsushi as you continued to talk about different missions.

"oh yeah, dazai-kun, do you remember--" you turn to look at him but realize he's staring at the ground intently as sweat beads on his face, "dazai?"

he blinks once and tries regaining his composure as he looks up at you with his usual smile, "yes, belladonna?"

"are you feeling alright?" you ask with concern laced in your voice.

"of course i am!" dazai tries to reply cheerily, but his bright tone is cut off by a rumbling in his stomach that makes his face twist.

he tries replacing his expression with a smile again, but it looks more pained as another low rumble emits from his body. at this point, everyone in the office is stealing glances. he looks back at the ground as his eyes widen yet again, and only two words are uttered before he takes off running to the bathroom:

"oh shit."

everyone stares at the door, processing what just happened. it was so silent, the only sound you could hear was dazai's rapid footsteps echoing down the hall.

"i knew it." you smirk a bit to yourself.

but your feeling of victory is brief as the horrid smell invades your nostrils. your poor co-workers get assaulted by the same stench, and you all are forced to evacuate.

operation: dairy for dazai was a success, but at what cost?

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

BONUS: how chuuya found out about dazai's lactose intolerance

chuuya was the only person who knew of dazai's problem with dairy, but the way he found out was purely accidental and scarred him.

the event took place when they were 17, and they were both stopping for a drink at a local cafe after a mission. the mission wasn't too bad, but it was early in the morning and chuuya wanted coffee. dazai told him it would stunt his already lacking growth, so chuuya wasn't in the greatest mood; he never was around dazai.

"i wanna sit down so you can order for me!" dazai claps his hands together.

"hey! i don't wan-" chuuya begins to protest but dazai cuts him off while walking away.

"you know what i like!"

chuuya grumbles in annoyance as he heads to the counter and orders two drinks. in his fit of anger, he accidentally ordered two coffees with milk and sugar, but failed to notice as he brought the cups to the table dazai sat at. he narrows his eyes as he sets the cup down in front of dazai and sits across from him. chuuya stares out the window to try and tune out dazai when he hears dazai ask him something quietly.

"is there...milk in this?"

chuuya scoffs and replies, "what's wrong, can't handle a bit of milk?"

he was obviously joking, but the sound that emits from dazai's body in response makes him realize it was no joke. dazai quickly stands and runs to the bathroom while chuuya sits there in disbelief, but with the hope that the rest of the day won't be ruined because of it.

that was wishful thinking though, as they frequently had to stop at public restrooms on their way home and chuuya had to deal with the rancid odor that followed dazai as closely as his own shadow.

taglist: @justmycupoftea93 @loveliestmolly @darlingimawitch @b-i-t-t-i-e-s @browneyespinkhair @silverstar22x @stupidfrogfreak @anotakugardener @jhopesstickeredcarrier @joyfulartisanstudentlamp @spacedoutcoffeebeans @puddingowo66 @kaeyapng @beomluvrr @imobsessedwithskkanditshows

[outivv]

Don't worry, I've actually only sent this ask yesterday x) hhhh I feel like I'm asking too much but!! A second part to my last request please?? Maybe with reader avoiding Diluc and the Winery since they're too fed up to make up, and Kaeya starting to feel suspicious and has a word with Diluc? Gosh I'm just so weak against those kind of angsty tropes, please indulge in my needs 😭😭

Synopsis: part 2 of my last post!

Warnings: none?

Game/ fandom: genshin impact

Pronouns for reader: gender neutral/ not mentioned

Characters: Diluc, and kaeya (platonic)

A/n: hello again! Ok first thing, I’m super relieved you weren’t waiting to long! And then second thing, I was actually really excited when I got your request! I wasn’t sure how to end the last one so this just lowkey made it super easy for me lmao. So thank your fo the request. And lastly you’re not asking too much! Again I had no clue how to end the last post so I left it on a cliff hanger :’). So I hope you enjoy the final part to this and have a wonderful day/afternoon/night!!!

It’s been about a week now since you’ve even spoken to Diluc, despite his attempts. He tried to speak to you on many occasions, but it was all in vain due to the fact that you wouldn’t even acknowledge his presence unless he was saying a heartfelt apology. Which he has not done yet.

You’ve been avoiding Diluc as well. Sleeping in one of the guest rooms at the winery, not stopping by angels share anymore, and going on more commissions to get out of town. Since you’ve been avoiding angels share now, and Diluc a mood, which was more cold and sour than usual. A specific cyro user became a bit suspicious.

Kaeya has noticed your sudden absence at the bar, and not to mention the whole tension in the bar due to the bartender being colder than usual. Diluc would typically work at angels share late at night to give you your space. Though he knew that it wouldn’t make a difference.

Kaeya caught on quickly, and decided to take action. As much as he didn’t like Diluc, he hated the bar being tense and not as lively as it usually is even more. And he missed your important conversations about the drama in mondstadt (kaeya talks shit about people in mondstadt don’t even try to deny it.)

So once the bar was empty leaving himself and the moody redhead he spoke up. “So, where’s y/n been recently? Haven’t seen them around mondstadt at all.” Kaeya said his hand wrapped around a bottle of wine.

Diluc sighed at the question, and shot kaeya a cold glare. Though he remained unfazed and only asked more questions “did something happen between you two? Are are they just busy. I’ve been missing some company recently.” He said with a smile.

That only pissed Diluc off. Even when he’s not trying and is genuinely concerned, Kaeya can still make Diluc want to kick out of the bar. “...both.” Diluc said shortly. Kaeya was surprised that his brother actually responded with an honest answer, and not brushing him off like he usually does.

“Oh? And why would that be.” Kaeya said now intrigued by his brother’s honesty. Diluc only crossed his arms on the counter in front of him and kaeya and sighed. “Being all brooding again huh?” Kaeya said noticing his brothers mood.

Diluc glared at him a second time for the night, and said “I don’t know... I got... upset with them and... why am I talking about this. Especially with you.” Kaeya only shrugged and stated “well desperate times call for desperate measures. So why not vent a little bit to me. Who else are you gonna talk to? The maids? Jean? Y/n?” Kaeya has a fair point. Diluc pondered kaeyas proposal, and after about a minute or so told him everything.

The cyro user only stared at his brother I disbelief, for he knew Diluc was easy to make mad but he didn’t know he had that big of a temper. “Wow... I... I don’t even know what to say.” Kaeya said shock apparent on his face “I mean... I had a suspicion you were in a relationship but... Jesus. Ok well I can tell you that I have no intentions of taking y/n from you I promise. But wow...”

Diluc grumbled at his brothers response and said “listen I know it’s bad but... I just...” Diluc sighed once more and looked away from Kaeya, ashamed. For he knew what he did was wrong but couldn’t bring himself to apologize. “Diluc. You need to apologize. And I get it you hate me so you’re probably not gonna listen to me but that was pretty shitty what you did.” Kaeya said, his words full of truth and worry.

Kaeya cared for you of corse and a part of him deep down cared for Diluc, so he wanted to help but he also know that he couldn’t make either of you change your mind. Especially you, plus kaeya agreed with you. Kaeya’s words hit Diluc deep as he finally felt ashamed and guilty for what he had said. Odd that it took Kaeya telling him to man up and apologize instead of you ignoring him for a week to get it though his head.

After ushering kaeya out the door so he could close up the bar, he rushed home hoping that you weren’t asleep yet. And that you were home. He opened the door to the door to see the fire lit and a figure in a chair, hurriedly writing something in a book. ‘Shit shit shit shit.’ He thought as he identified the figure as you. His heart racing yet he appeared calm.

You paid him no attention as you continued to write till your heats content. “Y/n?” He said approaching you. It was no surprise to him when you don’t reply. “I wanted to apologize. For what I said... and did.” He said. And once he finished the fast writing stopped. As you processed what he said. An unknown anxiety case over you.

‘Was he really sorry?’ ‘Why is this so sudden.’ ‘What is he up to. What does he want. He wouldn’t apologize if he didn’t want something.’ Were all thoughts that clouded your mind, until you felt a hand on your thigh seeing Diluc kneeled down in front of you so he was a bit closer to eye level.

“I know you’re probably still mad, and you have a right to be but just know that I truly am sorry.” He said. You wondered how long it took him to come up with the right words. Because that was all you wanted to hear from him. You sat up straight and said, “thank you.” Before standing up. Diluc stood up on instinct and brought you into a warm hug. You missed him, you missed his warmth, his sweet and soft touches. And now you were finally happy back in his arms.

[icypantherwrites]

Just a quick request for some advice, I've noticed you seem to be very good at promoting your works, requesting feedback and actually getting some, and reposting on Tumblr and such. Now admittedly, you are an awesome author and I pretty much love everything you write, but I have to think your promotion abilities are part of what brings you hits, kudos, likes, and feedback. Do you have any advice on the best ways to promote my fanfiction, build a fanbase and short of begging, get more comments?

Self-promotion and marketing definitely are a large part of my fanbase. I’ve seen it go both ways; amazing writers and fics that don’t have much attention and not-so-great ones that have huge followings because of social media presence of the author. So while having quality stories is still a large part of it, so too is marketing.

My background is not actually in marketing but journalism, but I did run a number of social media pages and have always been a very big people-person and engager, which I’ve applied to pretty much all aspects of my life. One of my favorite slogans I’ve learned from retail (and marketing) is you can’t sell what’s not out. i.e., if you don’t present your product you can’t expect to have any customers (or in this case readers).

In my case, I’m a very prolific author, meaning I have a lot of stories under my name and I’ve been fortunate that a couple of those have become bigger name ones in this fandom for extra exposure. The more you have, obviously the more you will “sell” and therefore, generally, the more exposure you’ll get and then comments (comments though are a fickle beast and it really really varies). 

I’m borrowing some of the advice from a previous post (you can always search my blog with “#writing advice” for more things) but these would be a couple of strategies I would recommend you try out :) Not all of them may be applicable to you either, as all authors write at different paces and volumes and have different time constraints, but maybe something in here will help ;) 

1. Have an update schedule! This one is really important. Whether that means you pre-write the entire fic or you buckle down and commit to a regular posting (which is how Color was for me for the first couple months until I pre-wrote enough to kick back and relax a bit xD) be it weekly or bi weekly or every two weeks (the other bi weekly? Such a weird word) you do that.

When you get people on a schedule and they are more likely to come back and comment with something other than the dreaded “update soon!” because they know you are going to update soon and when exactly that is. Give readers something to plan and look forward to, just like a favorite TV show that airs weekly.

2. Respond to comments. Whether you write giant-ass paragraph responses or even a simple “thank you ♥” it goes a long way. I know I always am more inclined to really keep up on a fic where the author has shown to appreciate their readers (although if I read your fic and like it I will comment regardless ♥). I know for me right now I have stopped doing this as it just got... draining for me, to respond in detail and never see those readers again and it felt hurtful to me. But I still make a point to say thank you in the author’s notes and if anyone has a question I do try to answer that too.

3. Read other authors’ works you enjoy but do not self-promote. Please don’t do that. I hate it when I see that and it makes me even less inclined to check out a fic (I’m already very picky with what I read and don’t read much at all). By all means comment on the fic and be like “I headcanon Keith is a good cook too!” because those personal details are lovely and maybe that’ll inspire that other author to click on your profile to see if you’ve got a fic with such a theme to go read.

But otherwise, keep your comments about their fic (or your reaction to it) and show your excitement and passion for that fic. Bookmark too (and Ao3 lets you add comments; you can bet if I see a nice comment on a bookmark tag I’m clicking on that author to see a; what else they’ve bookmarked and b; if they’ve written anything). Well written and passionate comments tell a lot about a person and if they can write a nice review they likely can write a nice fic and could be worth an extra click to see their profile. That is indeed how I’ve found several authors and fics I now read :)

4. Chapter length. This I have noticed over time but shorter chapters (for me around 3k-4k) tend to get more comments than longer ones because people have “more time” upon finishing to leave a comment. It doesn’t always work but it is something I’ve witnessed on more than one occasion. That said, don’t write a chapter of only 1k words and think they’ll pour in because it’s short. Leading on to…

5. Whatever your chapter is, make sure it has content that people will want to respond to. Not every chapter has to have explosions and action and intense heart-to-hearts, but every chapter should have something memorable. Filler chapters are unavoidable, especially in longer fics, but do what you can to make them not quite so “blah” and give them some heart.

6. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, meaning write multiple things (although perhaps not as much as me ^^;). Having a mix of a longer running chapter fic (for those “episodes” back in bullet point one) to keep people coming back and having a few shorter fics (be one-shots, two-shots, or shorter chaptered fics) to draw in new people and help you out when you get stuck on your other fic is invaluable. I definitely expanded my audience and brought in new readers that gave me little boosts of support when I started publishing one-shots semi-regularly. 

7. Don’t be afraid to self-promote on your blog. Reblog your works, pull out snippets to share, reblog those too if you don’t get many notes. I don’t really get how Tumblr’s tag system works, but tag your first few tags with the biggest ones that those browsing might stumble across. Ao3 does let you link to your Tumblr so long as you aren’t advertising commissions or patreon or the like in said blurb so make sure you link to your tumblr too to get cross-traffic.

8. Post sneak content on your blog; previews and snippets. Get people excited about the work before you post it. 

9. I don’t know how reasonable this is for most, but holding little games or contests can really up the engagement. Starting out, doing something like a bingo card prompt event could be one to consider; the “prize” is writing the prompt which gets you both more content, therefore more eyeballs on said content, and hopefully a very grateful fan who will leave you a nice comment and reblog it for their page. 

10. I like ending on this number. Um, oh, okay! This is both great for writing experience, content and engagement! If you see a piece of fanart you like that you feel compelled to write a bit for, do so and reblog it! Anyone who clicks on that art will see your reblog of it and maybe, maybe, the original artist will reblog your selection too! Not just artists either, but there are lots of “prompt” type posts I see that you could do that for as well. 

AO3 | Ko-Fi | Patreon | Discord

[iadmitdefeat]

🦔🐧

Guess what I did last week? I bought socks with HEDGEHOGS ROASTING MARSHMALLOWS on them AND socks of PENGUINS SKIING. HOW AMAZING IS THAT!!!     

Anyway, well that's the last time I tell anyone anything about animal anons plans, otherwise they will be spoiled and ruined by my friends! Oh well, it's all in good fun (and also forced me to keep my commitment of posting tonight despite being depressed that Jurgen got sent home...#gbbospoilers)!

Well as many people have predicted correctly, I passed the Bar! Hallelujah! I was sworn in as an attorney this week so I am officially an esq! I also am scheduled to received my dolly booster shot next week and earlier this month I started a new (not 80 hours a week) job! So I have had a fabulous month and have many things to be thankful for including my epic sock purchase! Which is perfect timing for the holiday ahead! So I wanna know what you are thankful for this year? I know it's been a tough year for so many so it can be as small or as large as you can think!

I'm so excited to learn more about everyone's year and what you're thankful for! Remember to tag animal anon (if you so desire) because I love scrolling through all your amazing responses! And since it was requested of course I LOVE atwtmvtv and the short film! My favorite vault song is IBYTAM because I love LOVE LOVE CS (please everyone go watch his performance with Jhud from the CMAs, it is mind-blowing)!

And remember, animal anon thinks you are all beautiful talented gorgeous people who are all killing it at life! ❤

ANIMAL ANON????? HELLO????? I'm shooketh.

I would kill for skiing penguins socks! I don't have any penguin socks in my collection, time to change that (even tho i do not need any more socks my sock drawer is overflowing).

Congratulations on passing the exam and on finding a good job! God, 80 hours a week is crazy, hopefully this one will treat you better.

What am I thankful for, hmmmm. Definetely my new job, I signed a two year contract last moth after 2 months of trial and I'm so happy they want me to work here! It's not a dream job (my dream career path is dead and gone) but it pays well, i work at home and my manager is really nice (contary to the bitch from my prevoius job).

That's the main thing I think, this year is not the best but definetely better then 2020. I also made some sick sock purchases this year, including one pair with embroidered hatching chicks 🐣

Red TV plays in my head 24/7 even when i'm not listening to it, especially the atwtmvtv outro. Taylor is sick for this.

I need to give him a listen, I've heard about him before but ibytam is the first song i've heard him in. He has a really nice voice!

Thank you for your message Animal Anon! And sorry if i responded to it super late!!!!

[rufusdawes]

Please Excuse Me

I had my day in court earlier this week. After being on the electoral role for several years, I finally had my summons to sit on a jury. In a town of only low five figured eligible jurors, it had seemed a long time coming. I have friends that have been called up within weeks of arriving and amending their voting registration but every time I checked the mail box, it was more often that not another sodding letter for pervious occupants. I have sent well over a hundred return to sender, not at this address messages scrawled across envelopes back to the post office. It's reached the point that I keep thinking to google whether I can legally just start binning their mail. Maybe, I'll do that once I've finished writing this. Anyway, one day in early August a letter from the Sheriff's Office arrived addressed to me, and not one of the half dozen muppets who are too lazy to tell the banks they've moved, informing me of my requirement to attend the Supreme Court 'on the 27th day of September 2021, at 8:45 oclock in the forenoon'. 'In the forenoon', how quaint, how exciting!

A formal letter with my name across the top and one not requiring me to get out the credit card, and a pink slip to be returned to the Sheriff saying yes or no. We have a Sheriff? Do they have a badge the shape of a star, spurred boots perhaps? Is their horse tied up to the outside of the Court, or maybe Bojangles the Saloon Bar on Todd Street? Either way, I don't think it's someone I want to mess with. If I say no, will I be called upon to take time out of my day for a duel in the Mall at noon? I don't want a midday stand-off, that's when I take my lunch. Ah no, punishable by a fine it seems, not a duel. Even so, I responded in the affirmative; yes, I am indeed available on the 27th and understand that I may be called to serve on a jury of a Supreme Court case running then or anytime up to four to six weeks later. No worries at all Boss.

I pinned the summons to the fridge so I wouldn't forget and popped the date into my work calendar so I could arrange bush trips around it. I informed my manager. I went to work and carried on working away a lot. This intensified after I applied for and accepted a role with another agency which meant suddenly I had to get sh!t done before my last day of the 8th October. I was away on one trip until the 24th September, a Friday and the last working day before my summons.

The four to six week period was now covering my final two weeks of my current employ, and then the beginning of a new role 3000 kilometres away from all my future colleagues who work out of Perth. I couldn't afford to do my civic duty. The next two weeks critical to ensuring that the three ranger groups I work with have ongoing work plans and that I have written handover documents despite not being directly replaced. Instead, each group will soon be getting dedicated Ranger Co-ordinators but not until weeks or even months after I've left. My next two weeks were promising to be busy especially having been out bush working with these groups the previous weeks. I needed to be excused.

Over a coffee with a friend the day before, it was mentioned to me that you can indeed get out of it if you successfully plead your case. Well then, tomorrow morning that is what I shall do. I walked up to the Supreme Court at 8:30 in the forenoon, a full fifteen minutes before expected so as to appear polite. The security officer at the door asked if I was there due to a jury summons. 'Why yes kind Sir, please may I enter' were the words hidden behind my nodding. "Did you call the number on the letter? You're due here Wednesday now." What number, what letter? Turns out on the formal letter, long since buried under a pile of other people's mail include the instructions to call an 1800 number before turning up on Monday which informed us potential jurors that we're not required until Wednesday.

This is disappointing since I was still hoping to get to Finke for work before my notice period was up. On the other hand, our HR department is on the top floor of this building, so I might be able to get them to write me a letter supporting my service deferral. They could, and since I now knew a little more, I was also able to write a Statutory Declaration and be far better armed for Wednesday morning.

When that day arrived, I had both documents and could not wait to hand them over to the mystery Sheriff. Having passed through security, I was instructed to take the stairs up to the next floor. There a lady behind a desk asked for the pink slip with my jury ID number on it. I handed it over and asked who I should show my requests for deferral to. "You'll need to ask the Judge for permission so best keep hold of them and head in."

In meant in to the public gallery to take one of the hundred or more seats that face the raised rostrum of the Judge's seat, under the seal of the Commonwealth of Australia. To the left, a witness box and an area where the defendant sits. To the right, the jury seats and in front, the defence and prosecution desks. Slowly, the other seats fill. Sometime after 9am, and with several dozen potential jurors seated we are informed of our instructions. We are led through the mechanics of a courtroom and what to expect, how jurors will be selected by drawing our numbers out of a tombola. How, should we be selected for this case, we can expect to serve for a couple of days. If not, that we should return for the next case to find out whether our number is up. And again after for four to six weeks. Unless we plead a case not to serve to the Judge from the witness box. Then we all stand up as the Judge enters the room.

Once he's seated, we sit and the morning begins in earnest. First the two charges against the defendant are read out, the not guilty plea to both is heard, the names of the witnesses who will take the stand as well as some other instructions are given before the Judge calls on those who think they have just cause not to participate. I line up.

I'm fifth in a line of eight. The first is excused from this case on account of being a good friend of the defendant. The next three excused from either the case or the full four to six weeks depending on their circumstances. My turn.

"Do you want the religious pledge or the promise" I'm asked by one of the Court attendants.

"The promise" I reply.

She then recites a few lines, something about the Queen and telling the truth and asks me to assert 'I promise' at the end, which I do before taking my seat in the witness box. This is somewhat unnerving. To my right is the defendant who has been sitting through thirty odd minutes of pre-trial jargon still innocent of their crimes until proven otherwise. Here I am, asking Sir if I can be excused from my civic duty because I'm a little bit busy at work.

The Judge asks my name and I lean forward towards the microphone.

"It's Hodgetts". Am I supposed to say Sir? Maybe it's Your Honour. Instead, I go with neither.

"Mr Hodgetts do you wish to excuse yourself from this case or your full civic duty?"

"Um yeah all of it I uh got a new job and um since I got my summons and said yes er things have changed and um I have a letter and er I wrote a Stat Dec so um I'd like to..."

"Show me the letters"

One of the Court officials takes them from me and hands them to the Judge. He scans them both before handing them back.

Fortunately, my mumbling and supporting documents as well as the benevolence of the Judge saw my deferral successful and I will be returning most likely early next year to have my number in a tombola for the selection lottery to be whittled down to twelve. I may be called to be one of them, I may not but until then I'm free to finish my job without risking being tied up in a Courtroom for days or weeks depending on the next case. This particular day in Court, a successful one. I do wonder though whether the same could be said for the defendant.