#but when did it turn into a battle for the ih

[ywpd-translations]

Ride 744: The last 800m!!

Pag 1

1: “Retirement..... race”....!!

2: That's right..... for those who are already third years this Inter High.... the club activities....

3: This race at this training camp....

4: So, Danchiku, I won't give up....

5: I'll beat you and become the sixth member!!

Pag 2

1: The sixth member!!

Pag 3

1: Sugimoto-san!!

3: There's 800m left!! He jumped forward in a downhill curve plunged into darkness!!

4: Even though we have the lights on

5: I can barely see anything!!

Isn't this guy scared!?

Pag 4

1: Is this resolution his strength!?

Pag 5

2: Sugimoto-san is attacking on the inside of the right side, with so little space!!

3: Ah

5: Kuaaaaa

6: ….. no

Pag 6

1: Even more on the inside, he's taking the curve running on the curb!!

2: If he slides even 1cm, he'll hit the grass, and if he falls this race is over.... and yet

Pag 7

1: There's 1km left until the finish line, and he's willing to attack so dangerously in such an important moment!!

2: Right now there's a 3m.... no, a 5m distance!!

Pag 8

1: He counterattacked and now he's heading straight for the final curve like that!!

Pag 9

1: Sis this what they mean

2: when they say “bloodcurdling”!?

3: Kuaaaaa

Pag 10

1: He's running and moving forward on the curb again!!

Pag 11

1: Kuaaaa

3: His rear-wheel slipped!!

Pag 12

1: But he's still pushing forward!!

Kuaaaaaaa

Pag 13

1: This guy... he's the real deal!!

2: He opened a 1m gap again!!

3: Incredible..... Sugimoto-san

4: You've gotten so strong you're making me shake!!

5: I'm racing against such a strong opponent?

Really.....

Pag 14

1: Really!?

3: Really!?

Pag 15

1: Alright, nice, I have no complaints about my opponent!!

2: 300m left!!

4: “I'll become the sixth member”?

I'm sorry but....

5: I'll become it!!

Bamboo....

Pag 16

1: Panda Shout X Hop Shot!!

I have no intention of giving up either!!

Pag 17

2: I see it!! Their lights

3: One of the lights went out for a moment so I thought they had fallen, on!!

4: They're going to settle this

I can feel their tension!!

5: Yes!!

6: Who of them will be worthy of becoming a team member for the Inter High!?

Pag 18

1: 200m left!!

Sugimoto is in the lead!! Danchiku is chasing!!

3: Another ten seconds and it'll be settled!!

Pag 20

2: Issa

Can you see it, Issa?

3: I'm sorry for having been so hesitant

4: There's something I finally realised these days

[thisisnotthenerd]

d20 finale thoughts.

for being the ‘horror season’, the intrepid heroes really go all in on the comedy in neverafter. i was laughing through the finale, in between some high stakes roles, npc and pc deaths, and wave after wave of enemies.

now that i think about it, this finale just shows how much the intrepid heroes have really tightened up their strategy as players, to the point that they can pull really crazy bits in the midst of battle and still hit a victory at the end of the day. for every ih season, they’ve had to step up the final battle to make it something that’s conceivably a challenge to the players

like in fhfy, they had some quips in the final battle, and a clutch beardsley roll to kick off the final ep, but it’s all battle focus. more individual attacks, and just trying to keep everyone alive pre-aguefort intervention. they had a few smaller enemies to deal with, but the primary issue was kalvaxus.

with tuc, it’s a similar scenario, but they have more options in terms of calling allies and a more complex environment. the individual appeals from the american dream, as well as the continuation of their fight with robert moses make this a more involved combat than fhfy. they were more confident coming in.

with acoc, the balance between troop mechanics and individual combat was the new challenge--the gimmick of the battlefield being the one they had previously fled from, as well as the task of getting rid of the leaders as well as the general troops added a new dimension to the ih final combats. edit: the intra-party tension added to this battle in particular; saccharina & ruby really defined the end of the campaign.

once they hit fhsy, battles became longer and carried out over more than just the two finale episodes. with theater of the mind, brennan could give them a longer sequence of individual and group combat. it starts with the nightmare forest individual fear scenes, layers on the need to rescue their attacking/trapped allies, as well as the continuity of the lore going on throughout the battle. i would say this style of battle, with multiple waves to exhaust the intrepid heroes, set a precedent for future combats.

with tuc II, the longer battle sequence continued, but more condensed. tony simos @ gramercy took 1 and a half episodes to get through, and so did null at the dragon’s hoard. again, each battle had layered mechanics e.g. having to stop the umbral engine overload and then having to birth the dragon. this style of battle aligns with what we saw in previous final combats, and has just the funniest instance of a divine intervention that i’ve seen.

in starstruck, they have talespire. they also have a lot of enemies, with their guns, trained on you. there were a few layers to this combat. again, the extension from a previous battle episode, the split between minis and ship combat, and of course, who could forget margaret encino, turning their enemies away with the power of emails and girlbossing her way into a campaign office. literally overwhelming odds that they managed to pull through including a 2 on the die from gnosis.

and now with neverafter, they had waves of powerful enemies, going from a siege to a tower defense from one episode to the next, the baba yaga, the ally persuasion mechanics, and the objective of holding concentration on bottle of ink that has hand(s), while either convincing or killing everyone else. the actual battle was not the hard part--as evidenced by the shenanigans they pulled off by the skin of their teeth. it was just the singular goal, and more rp than previous final combats. they also just crit. so much. no need for a beardsley crit when you’ve got siobhan one-shotting fairies and zac killing god and rolling an 18 that makes a new universe.

in short, as d20 has grown, so to have the intrepid heroes (+brennan). i’m excited to see where they go from here.

[sekhisadventures]

Dissonantia's Attempts at Immortality

Dissonantia’s main goal is to avoid death. Originally, she had made a pact with a demon in order to gain the power to consume souls to extend her own lifespan, but since then she’s expanded her research to either reverse her own aging so that she can pass as a young woman again in human form or to become a creature that does not age at all anymore, thus freeing her from her dependence on souls.

What follows are her attempts at extending her lifespan, indefinitely or otherwise, taken from her notes on the subject.

Consumption of Souls via Fel Magic

Attempted: Year 65 BFW (Before First War)

Inspiration: Taught to her by Quzgup, the imp she made her first pact with.

Notes: “Well, it works to a degree. I stop aging, but that’s it. I just stop aging! I’m still old as godsdamn dirt! Whats more, without a regular diet of souls I’ll start to age again and die! Animal souls work okay for a few days, a couple months at most for the bigger ones… but if I want to keep going I need souls from shit that walks on two legs. That could get… awkward. Near as I can figure, human (or at least humanoid) souls keep me going for a few years each. Animals are a few months for big shit like bears to a few weeks or days for smaller stuff.

“When I start to ‘starve’ it feels like some sort of cold hole in my gut opening up… its pretty damn unpleasant to say the least. I try to avoid that by setting live traps around my house for animals. If nothing else, they’ll do until I can lure in some human or catch a hunter who wandered into the wrong part of the forest.”

Ascension to an Elemental Being via infusion of Elemental Essences

Attempted: Year 28 AFW (After First War)

Inspiration: During her early days with the Alliance she witnessed a Twilight’s Hammer cultist become an Elemental Ascendant during a ritual, becoming seemingly ageless.

Notes: “Well, it definitely makes them stop aging, but it also makes them susceptible to control from the four elemental lords, arseholes like Deathwing, or even bloody shaman! I’m not about to take immortality if it means I’m Therezane’s bitch for the rest of eternity!”

Consumption of Sha-Corrupted Souls to Induce Permanent Demonic Transformation

Attempted: Year 30 AFW

Inspiration: During the Pandaria campaign she discovered that souls corrupted by the Sha became much more potent, extending her life for twice as long as normal and even enhancing her demonic powers. The Sha themselves though were totally useless for this as they didn’t have souls to consume.

Notes: “Came close that time… but it wouldn’t last. I could turn into a demon on a diet of Sha-infected souls, but the side effects… Not to mention I couldn't change ENTIRELY back! Bleeding horns are still here. I don’t think they ARE going away! Oh Dareley is going to be a total arsehole about that…”

“Even still, its never going to happen now. Since we sorted out Garrosh the Heart of Y’shaarj is just so much beef jerky. There’s still sha lingering here and there in Pandaria, but nowhere near enough. Best just move on.”

Immortality via drinking Demon Blood

Considered: 31 AFW (Azeroth Calendar,) 2 IH (Iron Horde, second year, Draenor Calendar)

Inspiration: Meeting Gul’dan under the Dark Portal during the battle of Tannan Jungle and being able to observe, however briefly, his power as a warlock.

Notes: “I’d never considered attempting this before as drinking demon blood binds you to the will of the demon, for all the power it gives you. Like I said earlier, I don’t wanna be anyone’s slave. I did try some alchemy with Shalandrae’s help after convincing her that I was trying to find a way to undo fel corruption (I can’t believe she bought that) but… well… no dice. Either the alchemy failed to purge that effect or it worked too well and reduced the demon blood to a toxic sludge that would have just poisoned anyone who drank it.”

Immortality via Infusion of Azerite

Attempted: 33 AFW (first year of the Fourth Great War)

Inspiration: Azerite had recently been discovered and was the new great weapon. Everyone wanted it, everyone wanted to use it.

Notes: “Bloody fel that was a terrible idea! Week and a half of pure misery! Titan blood is the antithesis of demon blood and I’m lucky that it just laid me up in Boralus with stomach cramps and the shits instead of making me explode or something! Note to self: Pay bloody attention to the domains such power comes from next time. Titans are Order, Fel is Disorder. DO. NOT. MIX!”

“Addendum: I’m beginning to doubt that the Azerite actually was Titan blood… given what we found in Zereth Mortis it seems like whatever the fuck Azeroth is, it ain’t a bloody Titan. Remember this for later, may be useful in the future.”

Immortality via Regular Infusions of Anima

Attempted: 35 AFW

Inspiration: After entering the Shadowlands she discovered the resource known as Anima and that the  Venthyr were master manipulators of it. They share many attributes with the san’layn of the Scourge and are often hundreds or thousands of years old.

Notes: “FINALLY! Bloody fucking fel FINALLY! Anima, all this time trying to stay outta the realm of Death and it was the one place I’d find what I wanted! Anima was the key all along. Eating souls stops aging, but its like eating raw meat, not exactly great for you. By comparison, Anima is like a well cooked steak, much better for you and much more nutritious. So long as I have regular infusions, and I will thanks to what I got set up now, I’ll stay young forever!”

[ichinoue]

Hello :D I joined the bleach fandom in 2015ish, so I don't know, but do you happen to know what IR shippers said to the entire ichigo vs grimmjow battle?? I mean it seems pretty hard to deny Ichihime even way before that, but I feel like that battle really should have been obvious even to non IH shippers. and what did they say to the afterwards part where ichigo picks orihime up on her shoulder? sorry for bothering you

Not bothering at all! So with the IchiHime moments of the Grimmjow battle, they excused it all away and said it didn't mean anything, as they did with every IchiHime moment. They said that when Ichigo picked Orihime up and said she wasn't as heavy as he was expecting her to be, that that meant he thought she was disgusting and fat and therefore he wasn't attracted to her--They used that gross argument to ignore how cute the moment was, with Ichigo putting his hands around Orihime's waist (a rather intimate touch) and carrying her as she got all flustered and blushed, and then he even admitted to having thought about what it would be like to pick her up before. They didn't want to acknowledge how shoujo-esque it was, so they took the comedic relief moment of Ichigo being an oblivious teenaged boy who doesn't know how to talk to girls, and turned it into Ichigo being a shallow asshole who doesn't like Orihime because "he thinks she's fat."

They said that the adoring puppy dog-eyed look he gave her after the battle was over didn't mean anything because "he looks at Orihime the same way he looks at Nel/his little sisters because he only sees her as a little sister type!!" They clung to that argument for years, but it became near impossible for them to maintain that Ichigo only saw Orihime as a sister and wasn't attracted to her at all, after the extreme reaction he had to her new clothes in 589 (all the blushing and sweating, etc.)

They said that Ichigo fighting Grimmjow had nothing to do with Orihime and that he was only fighting him to avenge Rukia because of the time Grimmjow badly injured Rukia back in Karakura (I'm not even joking--they genuinely argued this. I talked about that argument here). The funny thing is, as I pointed out in the linked post, Grimmjow actually mentions how he "tore his nakama to pieces" i.e. Rukia...and it had no effect on Ichigo, which angers Grimmjow. Ichigo doesn't react to Grimmjow's taunting until Grimmjow mentions Orihime instead.

And finally, I'm not sure what argument they used against the powerful moment of Orihime calling out to Ichigo, and Ichigo saying he wasn't allowed to get hurt anymore because of her? That's a pretty difficult thing to refute so I think they just ignored it altogether and focused their efforts on talking ad nauseam about how ""Orihime was afraid of Ichigo's mask!!!! She doesn't really love him!!!""" while completely ignoring the context of her having past trauma with hollowfication because of H!Sora, and that her fear was quickly resolved before the Grimmjow battle even ended (and thus was no longer an issue) when she called out to Ichigo and tearfully pleaded for him not to get hurt anymore because of how much she cared for him, mask and all.

[howlingday]

tragic backstory (tm) au) (bad end!)

jaune stared at adam for a long moment, around them the sounds of battle peetered out until there was nothing.

adam: "NOW THE WORLD WILL KNOW THE TRUTH OF THE FAUNAS STRU-"

jaune: **cutting him off, his voice even though somehow the loudest thing any present had ever heard** "shut up"

adam: **hand reaching for his blade** "what did you say you-"

jaune: **voice laced with distain** "i said be silent mongrel"

jaune: **steping forward, looking at adam as if he was a piece of shit that he had stepped in** "tell me mongrel, did you have a plan for after this little rebellion? you went so far as to attack my little sister so you must have"

adam: **frozen, not moving, trying to figure out why jaune is so confident** "the revolution will continue!"

jaune: "no, it really won't." **sighs** "you see you have just made an enemy of a head of state, one that is listened to by his people no less. see the sdc was a formidable enemy, no doubt probably one of the most dangerous you'd ever face but it wasn't a nation, and it had no interest in destroying you, only in subjugation"

jaune: **predating around adam** "see the truth of the matter was that most humans aren't racist, the power the sdc could bring to bear was therefore lessoned, and of course the number of people willing to fight was lower. the sdc has more resources but your fighting force was just about even when you got down to it"

jaune: **smiles, but it doesn't meet his eyes** "but tell me, how will you fare against the coming extermination? o-ho! that look on your face! you never even considered it did you? what would happen if all of humanity actually turned against you. well let me enlighten you, we will kill you, atlas airships can rain down hell on your little hovels without giving you a chance to fight back, you won't be able to fade into the crowds anymore, because there will be no more faunas to hide amongst, no work camps to liberate fighters from, no homes for your fighters to hide out in and feed themselves. i will see to it that every faunas man woman and child will be killed" **jaune turns to look at a white fang member** "you there, do you have a family?"

white fang member: "p-please, d-don't"

jaune: **laughs** "oh gods, you're begging" **face utterly serious** "did cin-cin beg before you killed her?"

jaune: "no, you all selected the rules of engagement, YOU ALL CHOSE TOTAL WAR!

jaune: "YOU ALL CHOSE TO MURDER MY LITTLE SISTER IN COLD BLOOD, ANY ONE OF YOU COULD HAVE STOOD UP TO THIS IDIOT AND SAID NO, ANY ONE OF YOU COULD HAVE SAID WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ANIMALS, THERE ARE NO MORE INOCENTS! YOU KILLED THE LAST ONE! AND NOW YOU WILL ALL BE EXTERMINATED LIKE THE FUCKING RACE OF VERMIN YOU ARE!

blake: **sits bolt upright in bed sweat pouring down her body and she struggles to catch her breath**

yang: **gently bringing blake into a hug** "bad dream?"

blake: **shudders** "no, a night mare" (sorry about the long ask but i you don't have a submission system and i wanted to share this idea for a bad end with you since the other endings you've shown off makes me think of a visual novel)

Sweet Dooms...

They say there is a difference between a bad dream and a nightmare. A bad dream occurs once in the night, and it never returns. A nightmare stays until the following night, leaving you anxious as to some hidden meaning. But dreams are just dreams, right?

Blake: (Groans, Sits up)

Yang: Same dream about Jaune? (Blake nods) You know, if it were anyone else, I'd say you were crushing on him.

Blake: (Groans, Gets up)

Yang: Anything different?

Blake: (Washes her face) His sister died again, but this time, he was looking at me.

Yang: I guess his fight shook something in you, huh?

Blake: I guess. (Brushing her teeth) Ah ih poi, nuh-uh oo uh-ah uh.

Yang: Nothing, huh? Not even, say... an I'm sorry from the White Fang?

Blake: (Chokes on her toothbrush, Hacks) A WHAT?!

Sienna: Dear Mr. Arc, allow me to offer my deepest and most humble apology. Though Adam Taurus and his followers acted on his own accord, he still used the very same name and organization writing to you to accomplish his goals. Please understand that the White Fang strive to use violence only as a last resort, not a first. This letter does not require a formal response, but an informal reply by mail would be greatly appreciated.

Blake: "With heartfelt regards, Sienna Khan, High Leader of the White Fang." (Turns paper over, Sets letter down) It's... The official seal, her signature, and even the paper; it's all authentic White Fang.

Weiss: What does this mean? Besides, of course, the White Fang have a High Leader and want to apologize for attacking Beacon.

Ren: Do you think she's trying to make peace with Jaune?

Nora: That's great!

Blake: I suppose it is, but something still unnerves me about all of this.

Yang: Like what?

Blake: The White Fang don't conduct attacks like these, or any mission at all, unless it's approved by the High Leader. The fact this happened with White Fang troops and not just Adam, tells me one of two things. Either Adam did recieve approval for the attack, which is unlikely since she's sending this apology letter, or...

Weiss: Or what?

Blake: ...Or Jaune is causing a divide in the White Fang. Adam was second to Sienna, so for him to recieve aide like he did is... concerning to say the least.

Yang: Eh, whatever, I say. Jaune kicked bull boy's ass and sent him to prison. I don't think we have anything to worry about now.

Pyrrha: Except for the final exam.

Yang: Yeah, except for the... Crap.

Ozpin: Ah, there he is! The Hero of Vale!

Jaune: Please, don't say that, Professor.

Ozpin: Ah, the humblest of heroes.

Jaune: No, it's not me being humble. I just don't think I'm a hero.

Ozpin: A trait all heroes should strive for.

Jaune: Ugh... Was there a reason you called me up here?

Ozpin: Indeed. You see, I'm afraid I must leave Vale for the time being. I am attending a summit with the other Headmasters to discuss the events that have taken place here at Beacon.

Jaune: And you're leaving me in charge?

Ozpin: (Laughs) Goodness, no! It would be quite unusual for a student to be placed in charge of a Huntsman Academy, wouldn't it? Such a tale wouldn't last very long, nor have a happy ending. No, I am leaving Beacon under the care of Professor Goodwitch. However, I expect you to treat her with the same respect you treat me.

Jaune: Of course, sir.

Ozpin: And I expect you to treat your new combat instructor with the same respect as you would myself.

Jaune: New combat instructor?

Ozpin: Yes. Someone with years of combat experience, and is prepared to advance your sword skills to the next level. You may enter now, Miss. (Door opens behind Jaune) Mister Arc, I believe you are already acquainted with your new combat instructor, Cinder Fall.

Jaune: Oh, nice to meet you, Miss- (Gut-punched)

Cinder: Hm, your reflexes could use some work. Not to mention your guard.

Ozpin: See? You're learning already!

Jaune: Ooogh...

Ruby: Uncle Qrow! (Hugs him) I'm glad you're still here!

Qrow: You and me, both, pipsqueak. But I'm a little busy right now. I gotta go talk to Oz.

Ruby: What about now?

Qrow: It's to do with some Huntsman stuff.

Ruby: Ooh! What is it?!

Qrow: It's-

Roman: -None of your business, Red!

Ruby: Roman Torchwick?! What are you doing here?!

Roman: Working, unlike you, you freeloader! When I was your age, I had to work for my milk and cookies!

Ruby: When you were my age, you probably stole people's lunch money!

Roman: Yeah, it was hard work back then, too!

Qrow: Oz has decided to absolve him of his crimes in exchange of doing a little community service.

Ruby: What kind of community service?

Scarlet: The kind that involves me.

Ruby: Who are you?

Scarlet: My name is Scarlet Torchwick, and my brother is here to give me away.

Ruby: Give you away?

Scarlet: Yes, to my beloved, whom I have been separated from for far too long!

Ruby: Wait, you don't mean-!

Scarlet: Yes, I am here for my beloved, Jaune Arc!

[goodlucksnez]

All//might & Ai//zawa snz fic

So after reading the latest manga chapter where all//might is standing in the rain for a long time I was like “ummm what if he got sick” so I wrote this

also poni really wanted to read this so i would have written more but its okay maybe another time

WARNING FUCKING ANGST BUT ALSO CUTE

Enjoy 2100 words of y//agi//ai//zawa

“Shouta I’m back.” The lanky former symbol of piece said as he entered the small apartment of the underground hero. As he looked around at the dimly lit interior, he could not help but shudder as the cool air chilled his wet clothes from the rainstorm, he just found himself in. Now that he was retired, he had many hours on his hands and he had spent that time doing all he could in the war against the villains.

This last journey, he found himself back to the site of the battle of his successor and class 1A intending to check on the anti-hero supporters who refused to evacuate. It was raining, and the blonde was slowly getting drenched. However, the cold and numbness that normally came with the rain didn’t seem to bother him anymore, as if all of the feeling had drained from his body and he was left a void. As he looked around at the broken buildings and cobblestone of the street laid before him where the previous battle was held, he couldn’t help but see his statue. He remembered that statue…his signature phrase “I am here” engraved on the bottom in granite stone. He remembered meeting with the sculptor and posing for what seemed like hours.

‘Such a long time ago’ he thought to himself.

The smile that was carved into the stone was so perfect, however as he looked at the wide grin, he felt like he was looking in a fun house mirror. The man he saw portrayed in this stone wasn’t him. He vowed to make the world a better place but now that he reached his end, he saw he failed. The world has turned out even more broken after his retirement and he was unable to protect the one student he promised he would. He felt that he’s gone further away than heroism than anyone else. As tears slowly started to cloud his vision he blinked and saw a cardboard sign held up by a thin piece of rope around the statues neck written on it in red spray paint was “I am not here”. As a shudder passed through his body he was brought back to the current reality. He stepped inside leaving a trail of waterlogged foot prints as he made his way to the kitchen. On the cool stonework countertops, he found a yellow sticky note as he began to read the note, scribbled in messy handwriting, he heard the familiar click of the lock as he turned to face the entryway. He saw the familiar black hair of his partner. As he watched Shouta shook out the umbrella that he had in his hand he spoke up.

“I was just about to read your note.”

The underground hero jumped at the sudden noise and as his piercing eyes fixated on the source of the sound he quickly relaxed when he saw the gentle smile of the former Pro. As he stepped inside and put his key in the bowl, it echoed in the quiet hallway. Shouta then motioned to the multiple bags he was holding.

“Don’t think we want to eat Ramen for the rest of our lives do we? Might be a good idea to get some real food.” he said as he continues to carry them into the kitchen and put them down on the counter.

As he put the bags down, he looked over at the wisp of the man standing before him. His diminished stature had taken a toll on his health. Tired eyes sat in sunken-in-sockets. His normally vibrant school bus yellow hair had turned to a grayish yellow mustard color and even though he would never admit it, he saw the clump of hair in the trashcan every morning. He was dying. It was an unspoken truth in their relationship but the underground hero would do anything to make sure he was happy and healthy in the final years of his life. He deserved that after all didn’t, he?

As he began emptying the bags onto the counter, he couldn’t help but notice the puddle of water that seem to be growing larger under the thin man, however Yagi continue to shiver and shake too preoccupied reading a can of tuna. As Shouta reached for the can, he met the eyes and said in a gravelly voice.

“You should change out of those clothes don’t want you catching a cold now do we?”

The former pro simply smiled although it was hard to fully sell it as he turned his head and coughed violently into his soaking arm sleeve. Immediately Shouta furrowed his brow and when he met the gaze of him again, he was quickly put in his place.

“Shouta how many times do I have to tell you, my health isn’t a concern of mine…it’s an undeniable fact, besides you don’t actually get sick from the rain.”

Shouta quickly interjected. “No but you could get hypothermia,” he began to plead “come on will you change out of those clothes…for me.”

As the older man sighed there was a clear rasp in his voice before he nodded quietly and turned to leave, his shoes squeaking on the tile floor as he left the kitchen.

After all the food was put away Shouta turned on the tea kettle to warm some water knowing full well that even with the warmest clothes Yagi could never be warm. As he walked slowly down the hall passing the bathroom and the study, he found himself at the door of their bedroom. He could hear fabric rustling but before he could enter another sound echoed throughout the house.

“hih'TSS-heh!”

A harsh sneeze echoed in the still apartment. ‘Even in his weakened state his sneeze is powerful’ Shouta thought to himself as he pushed on the door letting it slowly swing open. The image before him would startle anyone who knew All Might in his prime. The man had an oversized baggy red wool sweater in his hands. His silhouette illuminated by the ceiling light above seemed sickly and weak. The scar near his appendix which had a spider like web pattern that spread through his torso, as if venom was slowly poisoning his body was in full view. Yagi was bent at the waist and as he brought his other hand up to wipe that his nose Shouta could see small irritation tears had sprung to his eyes.

Shouta took a few steps forward and whispered a quiet bless you, a phrase his dear friend Mic had told him before his departure from this world.

Yagi quickly regained his posture and a slight blush crept into his sickly skin. He muttered a quick thank you before bunching up the wool sweater in a vain attempt to put it on. Shouta reached out his hands and slowly grasped the fabric and as the blonde bent forward, he quickly but diligently guided his his head through the hole in the sweater followed by both his arms.

Once the sweater was on the frail man’s body, he went to the nightstand which was stacked high with different medicines as well as vitamins and other health supplies and grabbed a travel pack size of tissues, before handing one to his partner.

In a voice gravelly but still soft and concerned he asked. “Did you catch a cold?”

All Might sighed his breathe with a distant wheeze could be heard, simply shook his head in agreement before sitting down on the chest at the end of the bed. He then put his head in his hands. ‘Why am I like this, he thought to himself ‘I have someone who generally cares about me and yet I hide, I know I failed as a hero but I have a failed him as a partner as well?’ He quickly turned his head to the side as a fearsome tickle demanded his attention.

ESH!... AhhhttTZZschhuw!...iyy-ih-ESH!"

The sneezes rack through his body leaving him panting slightly. As his lung struggled to breathe, he sniffed at the thick congestion and wiped his nose on the tissue that Shouta and handed him minutes before. As he looked up, he was surprised to find the room in front of him was oddly empty he called out in the voice louder than he intended.

“Sho where have you gone?”

A reply quickly followed “I’m making your favorite soup lay down in the bed will you…also bless you.”

He followed the order he was given and as he climbed into the black satin bed, he couldn’t help but shiver as his body demanded more heat. He found that he was always cold these days, no matter how much he bundled up. It was as if no heat could be retained in this frail body that he now called home. Within minutes Shouta entered the room but to his surprise with an assortment of things. He had a tray, one you would see in an old movie where the wife would dot on his husband, it was decorated in a sheer white tablecloth decorated with pink flowers. It had a bowl of a steaming liquid as well as two mugs and a vase full of sunflowers. As there are sickly sweet smell drifted in the room and Yagi couldn’t help but smile.

“You remembered, my favorite flowers.” He said with a voice thick with congestion. As Shouta sat the tray down over Yagi’s lap and climbed onto the bed, he smiled a slight blush sprung to his cheeks before he spoke.

“You told me a long time ago that you admired sunflowers for their optimism. You said it’s a form of gratitude because it honors the gift of life, always growing towards that bright sun,” his voice cracked as he spoke again “you told me that it turns its head to face the rising sun in the east and it follows the path across the sky throughout the day…. it’s that determination that you admired and that’s what I admire about you…even when you are being stupid.”

The two sat in silence for a few moments before the dull blonde turned to the side and harshly sneezed a triple.

“H-hhdihtt! Hhdddtschhhuww!!...hUDD’tschhuuuw!!”

 Shouta quickly handed him a tissue and began spooning the hot liquid onto the spoon he had brought.

“Open up Sunlight.” The blonde chuckled. “I’m not a child Sho I can feed myself.”

He replied “I know but I promised to take care of you, so just let me do this.”

“Very well” Yagi said as Shouta began to spoon feed the hot liquid into his mouth. The soup was warm and comforting, a hint chicken as well as carrots and other vegetables immediately filled the blonde’s mouth. It was delicious and he quickly swallowed as Shouta filled the spoon once more. But as he drew the steaming liquid closer to the blondes face the steam irritated his nose and he found himself pinching forward.

Hhdddtschhhuww!

As he sneezed, he hit his head on the spoon causing the spoon to fall and land in the soup creating a splash and slightly scolding the skin of both of the pros. Yagi would’ve laughed himself if he wasn’t preoccupied continuing to sneeze.

“N’doe…hHHT! hhnnkkKSCCHHhhuw!! ESHHHUHhhh!! Can hhtt-hhHHh! Hiitt’usszhhuh!! Sto hh-h stop hHHh! Hiitt’usszhhuh!! ESHHHUHhhh!!

Shouta quickly slid the tray to the side table and gently straddled the former symbol of peace. As the blonde continue to sneeze Shouta commanded for him to lift his head. As Yagi did, Shouta pressed hard against the cupid bow of his upper lip and almost immediately then sensation of needing to sneeze dissipated and Yagi breathed a sigh of relief. As he sniffed, he opened his watery eyes to look at a Shouta whose face was determined.

He asked while sniffling back congestion “snf snff ugh what are you doing?”

Shouta smirked before replying “I’ve learned a few things in my day, such as there are certain pressure points in the face that aid in congestion for example.” As he moved his hands to the sunken in cheekbones of the thin man and Yagi, he could feel his sinuses drain and his sighed in relief again.

“Thank you” Yagi basically moaned as the underground hero retracted his hands.

“I’m afraid it won’t last, but for the moment you will stop sneezing which is an improvement on your health…also bless you like 15 times I think.” Shouta said with chuckle “Now how about we both lay down and head to bed.”

Yagi smiled and replied “I love that idea as much as I love you.”

FIN

[bansept]

Ichihime Week | Day 6: Scars

Alright, this is just a little idea that I got and, since it holds an important place in my heart, wanted to write it.

It is short, and I'm not expecting everyone to like or agree with me on this one, because it's the way I see Orihime and one of her character development.

I didn't want to put it for Ihweek but honestly? Scars are scars because you get hurt to obtain them. Some heal, some are still triggering. It fits the theme, but I must put a Trigger Warning for reminding what Orihime went through.

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She laid on the small white towel, carefully laid out underneath her, and stared up at the sky.

A few clouds, maybe some birds here and there, chasing after the other. A tree, a few meters away, shaking with the wind, its leaves rustling with a comforting sound.

A fine day. The promise of a bright and calm future, as long as the sky remained blue, as long as the birds kept singing.

As long as Ichigo's head remained near hers, his eyes closed as he slept peacefully.

Orihime smiled softly, stopping her hand from tracing the contours of his face, knowing he would be awakened.

Yet, she sighed.

She was a broken person, but as the years went by, she learned to hide it under the mask of her smile. Narrowed eyes, corners of her mouth turned upwards, changing the subject to one of her dreams, the fantasy of her world enough to make the other people drop the subject.

She was broken from the start : never understanding what did she ever do wrong, what lead the people she could only call her parents to hate her existence. What forced her to fly away from them with her barely legally adult brother. She was broken because, even with her brother showering her with love, care and patience, she would always ask herself those questions.

She was broken after the start, when the only silver lighting in her life was brutally shut down. Her one and only hope for the future, the reason to smile and keep going was cruelly taken away from her young arms. After Sora's death... She created this mask of happiness, of goofiness. That way, no one could be worried about her. No one would ask questions, and the pain would never inflate.

She was broken. She had to say goodbye after finally knowing the past didn't define her. She had to run away to keep the others safe. To keep Tatuski, Chad, Uryu and so many more alive and well.

To keep Ichigo safe.

She was shattered, over, and over, and over again. the beatings, the degradations. The two faces of her most active abusers contorted in vicious ecstasy as their fists and feet flew to her body. Their remarks bruising her resolve.

She was destroyed when Ichigo's chest was obliterated.

He stirred next to her, his thumb brushing over her hand laid out next to him.

Orihime kept gazing at the sky, wondering how.

How, in such few words, such few manners, with such simplicity he fixed her. How that beaming hole of pain in her weak heart healed itself over a few average actions.

Because as much as she was in love with Ichigo, as amazing and out of this word as it was for him to love her back, those average things, like holding hands, or talking about how the day went... It was oddly enough to appease the hurt, the silent glacial flame of brokenness.

She knew, in her heart and her mind, that he had scars too. In such a cruel world, how could he not? Battle scars from blades, fangs and claws she healed with infinite care, and others she couldn't perceive yet. His mother's death, his inability to protect everyone he cared about, each moment he had to fight his inner hollow. Perhaps even much more.

The clouds stared back at her, small and enormous funny shapes playing in the bright blue sky, almost encouraging her to stop thinking of the past, and concentrate on the future. The future that delicately held her hand.

Orihime didn't wish to forget. Sending all those memories in the back of her head to think about later was not the best thing to do, not when she wanted to grow out of them. But at the same time, all those people she had met, from Tatsuki, her dearest friend Tatsuki to the mysterious and regretted Head Captain Yamamoto... Those people and more, they wore their scars openly, with pride, because they had learned to live with the memories of more precarious times.

She gently picked his hand up and brought it to her chest, right under her breasts, and closed her eyes, a little tear falling graciously on her cheek.

She was scarred. Used to be broken. Somehow, with incredible care and love, this young man next to her, watching over her, would heal her scars.

He would heal his too, with a lot of time.

But it was fine.

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Day 6...

I wrote this based on the cover of 'Fix You' BTS did, a few months back. At first, it was just a little thing, not much behind it. But as the days got by, I didn't have the heart to finish it. Until the IH Week arrived with the "scars" prompt, and well well well, see what I got in my drafts right now!

It's sad and depicts how I think Orihime is like on the inside. Poor baby has been through so much... And before she can totally be happy, the hurt from the past must heal. And that stuff takes time. The same goes for Ichigo, and I honestly believe the best character for him to heal those injuries with is Orihime.

I hope it still was nice enough to read, and maybe reflect on. See you on the last day tomorrow!

[totallynotafetishblog]

Privacy

I’m super into The M/andalorian right now and couldn’t resist writing some sick!D/in.

1.7 k. Set some time in the first half of S2. There are some minor mess mentions. Enjoy!!

Din was startled awake at the helm of the Razor Crest by a blaring alarm and flashing red lights. His eyes jumped from scanner to scanner trying to determine the source of the malfunction, and his grip tightened around the controls, bracing for a crash landing, when the beeping and flickering stopped. Turning his head to the right, he watched the Child sheepishly remove his hand from a switch.

Din sighed. "I told you not to do that."

Though the alarm had gone silent, it still echoed in Din's head, and he could feel a headache budding. "I'll be right back. Don't touch anything while I'm gone." The Child leaned towards the switch again, looking at Din the entire time. "Hey. No." Din tried to sound his sternest, but a tenderness in his throat which hadn't been there before he dozed off prevented him from speaking as loudly as he would've liked. 

"Here. You can have this." Din unscrewed the shifter knob and tossed it to the Child who cooed excitedly and rolled the silver ball in his hands. Now satisfied that his kid wouldn't cause mischief, Din proceeded to his quarters and pressed a button to shut the door behind him. He glanced back, confirmed that he was alone, and removed his helmet. He downed a pouch of water hoping to relieve some of the scratchiness in his throat and clear his head, but his symptoms persisted. 

To make matters worse, an obnoxious prickling teased his sinuses. Din did nothing to stave off the expulsion, well aware by now that he was coming down with something, and he sneezed openly toward his chest. "GSHHHHuh! hh...h'EKSHHHoo!" He grabbed a rag to blot his nose. "Ugh. Dank farrik."

The Mandalorian didn't get sick often, and when he did, he always hid himself away in his ship for a few days so he could cough and sneeze without his helmet on. Now that he had the Child, that would be impossible. The thought of keeping his dripping nose in his helmet was disgusting, but the thought of showing his face to another living being was unfathomable. There was no convenient solution.

Resigned, Din blew his nose a final time and put his helmet back on before returning to the cockpit. The Child was in the same place Din had left him, laser-focused on his ball. 

"Hey, kid. What do you think about spending a few days with Cara and Greef on Nevarro?" Din asked. The Child tilted his head curiously. "I have to take care of something on my own, but you should be safe there, and I'll be back as soon as I can."

The Child responded with a gurgle that Din took as an agreement. He sent a vague message to his friends on Nevarro stating that he needed help with childcare while he took care of a personal matter and left it at that. They were already in the correct sector, so the journey to the planet was quick and Din was able to keep his symptoms in check by breathing shallowly through his mouth, knowing that any attempt to breathe through his nose would be disastrous. 

When the ship landed on Nevarro, they were met by Cara and Greef, the latter of whom squatted and held his arms out towards the Child. "There's the little guy!" As fast as he could, the Child waddled over to Greef and allowed himself to be scooped up.

"Thank you for watching him," Din said. "I should be back in a few days."

Cara put a hand on her hip. "I'm surprised you're letting him out of your sight."

"I don't want to, but I—" Din paused as an annoying itch spidered through his nose. Though wearing a helmet while sick was mostly a hindrance, it did allow him to covertly scrunch up his face, attempting to quell the sensation in any way possible. "I... hh! need to be alone for thi-IH!-s."

Greef frowned. "You okay, Mando?"

"I'm f-fine. hxtCH! ngx'CH!" Din stifled as well as he could, but he knew he would have to give the inside of his helmet a good cleaning. 

"Yeah, that doesn't sound fine," Cara said, giving him a quick head-to-toe inspection and noting his tired posture. "Are you ditching the kid to take a sick day?

Din sighed, deflating. "Yes. I'll be staying here in my ship, so I'll be nearby if anything happens."

"Why don't you come stay in town?"

"A nice bed and a warm meal should heal you right up," Greef agreed.

"I need privacy," Din explained. Urgently, he wanted to add as mess dripped on to his lip. 

"You'll have privacy," said Cara. "You can stay in the back bedroom at my place. I just use it for storage."

The Mandalorian relented. "Fine. Let me grab some things."

He frankly didn't have much worth grabbing, but he was desperate to blow his nose before heading into town. He did so, and while it granted him momentary relief, the congestion was persistent. Aware that he would be fighting an uphill battle against his dripping nose, Din filled a satchel with clean rags that would surely be sullied by day's end.

*******************************************************

"You can bunk in here." Cara drew back the curtain to her guest room, a cramped space filled with old shock trooper gear and unlabeled boxes on either side of a bed. The bed was small, but no doubt softer than the sleep mat in the Razor Crest. "Greef'll keep watch outside in case anyone tracked you here. I'll be hanging out around the house with the kid." She bounced the Child on her hip, and he giggled. 

"Thank you," Din said. "Will you be okay watching him?"

"As long as he doesn't try to choke me again." The Child blinked at her with his big eyes and tilted his head.

Din knelt down so his visor was level with the Child's eyeline. "Hey. Be good. Cara has very kindly agreed to help us out, and I want you to be on your best behavior, okay?"

The Child made a gesture that Din took as a nod, and Din patted him between the ears.

Steadying himself with a hand against the wall, Din stood back up despite his muscles' protests. He felt utterly drained. Given his constant travelling, it was impossible to say where he'd picked up this illness which made it difficult to know what exactly it was, but it was hitting Din hard and fast. He turned away from Cara and failed to suppress a chesty coughing fit.

"Go rest," Cara said. "That sounds disgusting." 

"Are you sure you can handle—?"

"Yes, Mando. Now get in that bed, or I'll make you get in." 

Cara walked off with the Child in tow, and Din closed the curtain at the room's entrance behind him. Finally alone, he set his helmet on some boxes beside the bed and let himself collapse into the mattress. 

*******************************************************

Din was startled awake by a knock on the wall outside of the room. Unsure whether he'd been laying there for minutes or hours and head heavy with congestion, he hastily redonned his helmet.

"Mando?" Cara called. "I'm leaving some food outside if you—"

The curtain opened, and Cara raised her eyebrows upon seeing the Mandalorian out of bed and in full beskar armor. 

"You didn't take your armor off?" she asked, giving him a once-over.

"It's—" Din cleared his aching throat. "It's easier to leave it on in case something happens. I slept without my helmet, though."

Cara gave him a half-teasing, half-affectionate grin. "Nothing's going to happen. I promise. The kid is safe, and Greef and I have been keeping an eye out for any trouble. Just rest, okay? We've got your back."

Din nodded and accepted a bowl of soup from Cara. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. I'll let you have your privacy now, but I'm not far if you need anything."

Closing the curtain and setting the soup aside for the moment, Din debated the pros and cons of taking Cara's suggestion. On the one hand, he would be much more comfortable without the weight of cold metal encasing his body, but on the other hand, trouble was drawn to him like a flea to an Ewok. As a faint buzzing settled in his nose, Din decided to take the risk and remove his armor. 

He tried to keep his hitching breaths at bay as he took off his helmet and tossed it on the bed. He brought a lazy arm up to his face, keeping it far enough away that he wouldn't accidentally slam his nose into his gauntlet if he pitched forward, but this rendered the attempt to cover was more symbolic than effective. 

"ih-hih... IHhh’GYZSHHHuh!" Droplets gleamed on the smooth beskar. His armor had certainly seen worse, but nonetheless, Din felt a little gross. His mild disgust only served to increase the relief he felt as he stripped his armor off piece by piece, revealing his skin to the cool air. Though the sensation of anything other than metal against his body was welcome, it sent a chill through him that reignited the urge to sneeze. Din tented his hands over his nose. "hihh'IKshHHuh! hh'ATShHOO! hihhh-ih... G'SHHUHH!"

Din sniffled wetly against his fingers and bent over to grab a rag from his satchel. He blew his nose unceremoniously, and his head felt five pounds lighter. Tossing the rag aside, he fell back into bed and idly sipped the soup Cara had prepared, savoring a rare moment of quiet. He knew that Cara was right: he and the Child would be safe here, and his friends would be there should anything go awry. It was unusual to find non-Mandalorians whom he trusted so completely, but it was a pleasant feeling. Holed up in Cara's back room, Din felt more at peace than he had in ages, even with the obnoxious itch in his throat and stuffiness in his nose. 

Maybe, mused Din, I should take a sick day more often.

[seedleaflesssapling]

Ver 2.0? Turning Point?

I can't really identify to which point in my life that i started to doubt myself but im pretty sure that it was because of UP. Damn, that school, my uni. It do really have the ability to make you feel small; i was in a disadvantaged side when i entered it, you know. I was acquainted, no we did not really talked one-on-one, but i heard when we did introductions - Pisay, UP High, science comprehensive schools, Xavier University, who wouldn't be intimidated by that when you came from Col. Ruperto Abellon National School (who would know where that is? I was lucky enough for a teacher recognized it and my classmates be like 'ahhhhhh,' .....really?! I dont even know where xavier is, it just sounds cool). Another thing is that, i wasn't a stem shs graduate - a leverage(?) or excuse (?) that i always use for them to know that i am at disadvantaged side here, not their competitor, probably a NOBODY. They, being stem graduates, have capstone projects you never thought that they have at that age, but i would hear them saying that it was publish in this journal (whatever, idk the journals lmao, i dont even understand their studies 2nd lmao, but that was some smart shit you know, a shit that makes me feel pathetic for being too proud of my what? Correlational study from inconsistent surveys?!!! Wtf, wtf, wtf). But it was a very good peer pressure you know, i kinda turned it that way. Being left behind, being on the rock bottom, i have no other place to go but up. It wasn't the goal, like making or taking the top spot, i just need to survive.

Inevitably, the exams came. I had hard time adjusting chem but math was kind to me. Who would have thought that i would get two 1.0 at my math subjects for the first semester, the sem that i thought i would barely pass. I was even a CS for that sem. Who would have thought? Our first chemical engineering subject that involves computations was on the list the next semester and the first exam, out of 100 i got something like 20ish. WTF. THAT WAS MY FIRST FAILED EXAM. but no, never did cry but tears were flooding inside. So apparently, i have to focus more on this subject and i did. Some were still failing, but i raised my average up. We also had physics, my first ever physics. I really love physics that time or that sir rommel is just a very good professor. I got the highest score on our second LE, everybody else did fail. Small victories. Not that they lose, but i just won. But i heard one time they were talking about me re: passing the physics exam and even getting a high score. They were uhm.. a guy i really look up to cause his good, the other was a girl that idk but i think she didn't like me back then. They were friends but eventually the girl transferred uni because who cares why. i heard the guy saying something like sin.o gid na si franklin nga taas iya score man, maybe even worse than that, i still look up to the guy even until now. But wtf. I really took it in that time, like i wanted to cry but did not. With all that, i got a fair grade at physics. I still got 1.0 at maths that sem and even maintained being on the CS list. S M I L E. BECAUSE WE HAVE A MIDYEAR CLASS. VERY EXHAUSTING FOR SOMEONE WHO DONT WANT ANYTHING BUT JUST ADJUST, SURVIVE, AND FIND MEANING OF BEING A UP STUDENT. It was just one subject and it was math, but i got 2.0?!!! I have no excuse to that, i am very grateful for the family who accommodated me. After midyear class, i did got sick, it sucks, really sucks. I wanted to file an LOA for the next academic year, it is the only thing i can think of for me to go back on track (i haven't said that my parents pushed me to graduate with latin honor and i wanted to also for my resume to look good because everything else in me is effed up). I really wanted to pause and be free for a while but i also wanted to graduate on time (mostly because i want to give the bitches who dared to have expectations be put on my shoulders not the satisfaction, but the audacity to tell them 'i aint did it for ya') so i asked mama. THANK GOD, SHE DID SAY NA KUNG ANO LANG KAYA MO, AMO LANG DA IH 😭😭🤧🤧 so i enrolled, but went to school late, haven't attended the school opening but all is good. I did kind of reset, just enough for me to face school again.

Second year, it was fucked. I did really love coding on octave and doing sheets at ms excel though. On that year, we have formed the che 103 bagsak group. Together with two of my classmates on 103 and math 55, we became buddies after failing che 103 on the first LE, another 30 over 100 exam hahahahaha. We made bawi just enough for us to pass the subject hahahahahuhu. I have thermodynamics sub, i barely pass. Thank G na wala ko nag removal. If ever i did, i am so sure that i wont make it. My GWA for that sem was not enough for me to be a CS. Who cares? I still did, actually but mama was never been too pushy since then, even since after midyear, after getting that 2.0 grade from the only subject i am good at. Btw, my math 55 for first sem, second year, was 1.25. Not a 1.0 but still, it's good. Second semester that year was when pandemic hit so there's nothing much to tell. I was, sorry but i was really, glad to be away from school for a while, not until for a while became forever. Virtual university set-up was very hard. With too much from taking in whatever i see and hear on my surroundings, even just at home, everything is difficult. It is very hard to find motivation and discipline in studying when i was surrounded with people who do nothing. Even to this point i am writing, everyday is like a battle, but is mostly an internal one. Self vs self, a war no one knows who will win. So the confidence, the tower of knowledge i did build, exponentially went down. I did really well when i was in grade 10, i did my best that time and it can be seen at the achievements i had that year. Being consistently on top 1 the whole year, placing second on division MMC (even getting the highest score on the written elimination round for the whole cluster), doing well sa physics under maam andico, placings on cluster journalism competitions - it was like a record best, best record (?) Whatever. But it wasn't enough you know, i eventually came fourth like wtf. I had read from somewhere Newton saying like the two years when he did write the three laws of motion and the calculus stuff were the two best years of his life, and it kept me thinking that what if mine already passed? That it was when i was in high school?

But, back when i was in school, every time that i was belittling myself or even at random times that i would feel nervous for nothing, my classmates and close friends would say na:

Uno mo man ang Math, uno mo na na (it was a one or two time thing, what if chamba lang to???)

Ikaw man highest sa first le sa thermo (it was really an absolutely one time thing, i barely passed that sub)

Alam ka man sa physics (i was just invested on physics and maybe nachambahan lang na ang ginpractice ko solve kay parallel sa exam ni sir)

Alam ka, d ka lang confident (OKAY???!)

I was ignoring those shit cause who cares if i did really good that time. Yeah, it felt good but it wasn't fulfilling. Satisfied but not happy. But with recent events, i think i would be changing. This post will be a written contract that i will push to be better, to start trusting myself, and build that confidence glow behind me; to believe that i am bright and i can hack it, whatever it may be.

For coherence, i would itemize na lang all of the events that brought me to epiphany lol

It was Friday, 17 Sep, when Dean, in our plant design subject, gave an activity for us - to come up with solutions that would address problems he presented. 1 off grid island community (either you address the water, electricity, and phone reception/signal problem under a 100k budget) and 2 vinegar packaging with a 500 mL volume and should cost less than the cost of vinegar. The due's on Monday, 20 Sep. The challenge is that you should come up with an idea that is not the same with those who already turned in their proposed solutions. I haven't turned in mine until Sunday afternoon. We are 23 in class, hence there should be 23 proposed solutions for each problem. However, only 20 or 21 turned in their solutions and as a student who decided to do it three days after the sheet was given, i was at the second to the last of the entries hahaha. I have limited choice since a lot have been proposed. And ngl, i did entered my idea for the first problem at Sunday evening and for the second problem it was on the afternoon of the next day. Those were basic solutions cause who am I? Am just your basic guy.

Tuesday, 21 Sep (#NeverForget #NeverAgain), class again for plant design (PD). Dean discussed stuffs which im ngl, i did not listen because im bored (not until he said 'we'll have a 5-min break and we'll have a quiz after that' like wtf, how will we do our quiz???!). After the short break, I did study cause i panicked as hell, he presented the prospects of the course, that we will be divided in groups and that the leaders were chosen based on the solutions they turned in the activity previously given. So there's no quiz, i was calm the whole time after that until my name was called. Like wtf??! Your basic guy will be a leader???! Hello!!! So i chat people, asked them if it was a good thing (course it was!!!? So dumb right?!). And then, i asked another leader and she agreed to my argument that we should only be divided into six instead of seven as what dean has decided. So i chatted dean (pic below). I just accepted the role half-heartedly.

As leaders, we should be hiring people for our team and we should make pubs. I dont have a canva account to help me do pubs. I made mine at MS ppt HAHAHAHAHAHA but im good so its cute. We were assigned with projects and i get to have the 4-member team. The vacant roles were project maven and liaison officer for a 3-member team. In my pubs, i included scrummaster as position to be filled, cause who am i to lead?! So yeah, that's it. I did the pubs Wednesday and I submitted my resume Thursday (third to the last hahahaha but my resume's cute hahaha).

Thursday. So i had this invite by a classmate to join the Shell event long time ago. He was reaching out for someone to ask Dean for his approval because Dean did not replied to the email he sent. So, i volunteered. I really want this competition cause this will be my first and maybe last competition as a UP student. So i DMed dean and blah blah blah he asked for selection process. I relayed the message and apologize to them for being me because i was thinking that it was me who made him come up with the decision of having the team be selected. Like, wtf i was just asking for his approval. Getting kicked out of the team was not my intention. Those whom i chatted that night were telling me that it wasn't my fault blah blah blah. So i half-heartedly agreed to them.

Friday came, yesterday, the interview. I am very anxious for someone who will be the one asking the applicants lmao. I already have been interviewed before for college applications and somehow remember the feeling, nerve wracking, whatever. To calm my nerves, i listed questions which i never got to ask properly btw, but at least i have concrete ideas on what to ask. The first interviewee was my very closed friend and so we just laugh and laugh and laugh HAHAHAHAHA. IDK if dean saw it but who cares. And the next and next and next. 3:30 passed by fast and guess what??? YOUR BASIC GUY HAS THE MOST NUMBER OF APPLICANTS TO THE POINT THAT DEAN CUT MY LIST. IT WAS EXHAUSTING BUT VERY FLATTERING. I FEEL SO HONORED. i really thought and very scared at the thought that no one will apply to me but wtf, just wtf. Ranking my applicants was damn hard. 1 i have a dream team but one was cut by dean; 2 this could make my friends mad; 3 this will be the group for the whole year; 4 i am really exhausted. But still, i submitted the list. I was hoping for the people i chose to choose me back. Only two out of three did, i am forever grateful.

Still on Friday, the classmate who invited me to the Shell thing and Dean had a zoom call and discussed about the competition. That classmate told dean what i told him the other day that i might be the reason for the decision of having the selection process done. He told me this through a voice memo, katamad daw magtype. A voice message that i played over and over again. Dean actually find me interesting (?), Invested (?) Idk exactly but the classmate told me na 'may nakikita daw talaga sya sayo. Na grabe ka ka-practical as a person like yung ideas mo daw sa plant design napakasimple lang pero napaka practical to the point daw na madami nag apply sayo kanina. And then, you need more confidence lang daw talaga' so ig, you basic guy is a practical guy now. It's just flattering.

Now, whatever happens, i must meet those expectations right? This could be a lousy motivation but what is if there's none? I dont know why im writing this. I just thought i should get my thoughts out. Ver 2.0? Turning point? Let's just do good 😌

PS I put this on my bio on FB, guess im getting more public, and if you happened to read this because you saw the link on my bio, send me a message about you thoughts.

PPS if your initials are JTZC, these have been my week and i miss you even though you're not interested in me anymore, you are hard to forget

[gunnerpalace]

It is Time to Kill The Common Understanding of the Dome of Las Noches Fight Once and for All

I’ve been thinking about @starrdustcrusader​‘s post making fun of BBS’s interpretation of Full Hollow Ichigo, and while it is very good and covers a lot, I felt that I had something further to add. Please go read that post first so you are on the same page.

I also invite you to go read chapter 350, The Lust 4, and the next few chapters as well.

Now, like I said, the post in question does a very good job of pointing out what’s happening here: Full Hollow Ichigo has less than zero concern for Uryuu or Orihime. He is not interested in protecting them whatsoever. Indeed, he directly attempts to kill Uryuu, with that attack being very likely to kill Orihime as well. It is only stopped by Ulquiorra’s intervention.

And why did Ichigo attack Uryuu? Because he was a threat.

When you are doing dispassionate threat analysis, whether that be tactical or strategic, when you are thinking with an essentially military mindset, motive stops really mattering, because it cannot be taken for granted. What matters is capability. What someone says their intentions are, or what their intentions seem to be, often matter less from this perspective than what they can do, or are doing.

What is Uryuu doing in this fight? He is interfering with Full Hollow Ichigo killing Ulquiorra. And that is Full Hollow Ichigo's only goal. Thus, Uryuu is an enemy and is also to be killed.

And so is Orihime (if “merely” as collateral damage).

It's that simple. This is again pointed out in the original post. In the same way that Ulquiorra earlier said to Ichigo that, "Killing you is synonymous with protecting Las Noches," killing Uryuu and Orihime at this point is synonymous with “protecting,” because they are in the way and are actively impeding the mission. (”Protecting” what? We’ll come back to that.)

I haven’t said anything new yet, now have I? So let’s get to that.

Here is Orihime demonstrating several flavors of hubris, and also completing failing to do anything to save Uryuu from his imminent demise. What do I mean? Well, let’s take apart her statements:

“Because I said that, Kurosaki-kun is trying to help me.” This is an assumption on her part, and it is wrong.

“I trained because I didn’t want to be a burden to him.” Mind you, she also says this in both the Xcution and TYBW arcs, and is a burden and fails in both as well (the infamous ”Why am I crying?” and “Her shield didn’t work” moments). This should have been a learning moment for her and it was not.

“I came here because I wanted to protect him.” There are other meta posts that detail the selfishness of Orihime’s actions in Hueco Mundo and in general. I would also like to point out that this was also her exact same logic in going to Soul Society. She didn’t learn anything from that experience either.

“So why? Why at the very end did I depend on him?” A great question. One that she never truthfully owns up to, given (2). But there was a reason Kisuke told her to stay out of the war. You may recall Rukia's statement to Orihime in chapter 228, Don't Look Back, that "In a battle, the ones who get in the way are not the ones that lack power, but the ones that lack resolve." She went on to say "Of all the battles in Soul Society, no one was a burden to anyone else. Not Ichigo, nor Sado, nor Ishida, and neither were you, Inoue. If any of you were less than who you are, I wouldn't be where I am today." This was very charitable of Rukia, because Orihime's contribution to her rescue was negligible and was, to reiterate, not why she was even there. Furthermore, Orihime didn't listen to her here either: she is once again demonstrating a lack of resolve, as she will continue to.

So Orihime doesn’t learn. Great. But maybe you’re thinking about (1). What do I mean she was wrong? I mean, doesn’t the manga confirm she’s right?

This is the crux of that argument. And this is also one of the cruxes of IchiHime as a whole. The thing is... it’s complete and utter bullshit.

This is the exact same scene in the original Japanese:

Now, I don’t speak or read Japanese very well at all. I’m still a novice at it. What I can do, however, is use optical character recognition and translation tools.

(よ)呼んでる - Yonderu - Calling

(よ)呼んでるんだ - Yonderunda - They’re calling

(き) 聞 こえる -  Kikoeru - I can hear

(た)立てよ - Tateyo - Stand up

(た)立 て - Tate - Stand

(おれ)俺が - Ore ga - I will

(おれ)俺が - Ore ga - I will

俺が護る - Ore ga mamoru - I will protect

(The parentheticals are furigana used as a pronunciation guide.)

Now do you see a single instance of “her” or “she” in this dialogue, particularly when it comes to the final line of “I will protect”? No, you don’t. Because it’s not there. It was never there until a biased translator inserted it into the dialogue. I’m not alone in this analysis, by the way.

Quite some time ago, @kodoku-no-maria​​ did a wonderful analysis about Ichigo’s instincts (”Mistranslations that Created the IH Fandom”) that also covered this (using anime quotes instead) and came to a similar conclusion. It’s a great post and you should read it. 

This isn’t the post she mentions in hers, but there is one done specifically of the manga by a deactivated account. You should read this post too. (This also notes other things, such as how Orihime says “Help, Kurosaki-kun!” and not “Help me, Kurosaki-kun!” so we can take it that the Mangastream / Mangareader English translation is just generally dodgy all around at this point. Which may well impact the points I made above about Orihime’s character; but I think given the events of the Xcution and TYBW arcs that it is evident she did not in fact learn anything, so I will stand by the basic thrust of them.)

Okay, so I’ve marshaled my evidence on the battle and provided corroborating analysis. (I have also reblogged all three of these posts because they’re good, although the links are to the original sources or as close to them as I could get.) 

Ichigo didn’t turn into Full Hollow Ichigo because of Orihime. She had nothing to really do with it. Great. So what?

Well, let’s now move on to my theory.

Now, you might be thinking that it is fairly obvious that all of those lines are Ichigo’s inner monologue. But I don’t think it’s so obvious. In fact, I would suggest to you that it is actually a dialogue.

On the second page, with the third panel, it suddenly zooms in to the wound in Ichigo’s torso. This notably later becomes Full Hollow Ichigo’s Hollow hole. You notice here the dialogue changes, from commands (e.g., “Stand”) to personal pronouns (e.g., “I”).

I would submit to you that the first three lines are Ichigo’s. But I don’t think the last five are. I think they belong to two other entities. Especially the last three. First, let me steal two of Maria’s highlighted panels to make a point:

So who is talking? It’s simple:

Do you really think it’s a coincidence that Zangetsu (Hollow Zangetsu) shows up wearing the exact same outfit as ‘Full Hollow Ichigo’ after Tensa Zangetsu gives a speech about how:

I don’t think so. Ichigo "fell into despair and halted [his] progress" and Zangetsu, as 'Full Hollow Ichigo' is "the "source of [his] despair." (This is the same despair that Rukia noticed when Ichigo came down from the top of the dome to confront Yammy.) As has been previously pointed out in the linked posts, we see this despair on the dome after Ulquiorra’s defeat in Ichigo’s attitude. Starrdust covered these, but let’s go over them again:

He’s doesn’t seem all that shocked or concerned here, to be honest.

He’s a lot more shocked at what he did to Uryuu.

But the thing that really gets him is that he’s gone and killed Ulquiorra. That’s his despair.

This is the first time he’s out and out killed somebody. (And yeah, Ulquiorra is dead because he had his bits vaporized with a cero, not purified.)

He finally has to learn this isn’t all fun and games, that you can’t turn everyone to your side and redeem them and be friends with them afterward, as he did with Ikkaku, Renji, Kenpachi, Byakuya, and even to an extent Dordoni and Grimmjow. This is exactly what Dordoni was warning him about. This is the lesson he will be forced to learn again after weakening Aizen long enough for Kisuke’s kidou to work on him.

And it is why later, his determination to “save everyone” in the Xcution arc by cutting Ginjou down and killing him (even if he turns into a Plus as revealed in TYBW, undermining the whole symbolic importance of the act) is a big deal for his character development, and one of the few redeeming aspects of that arc: it shows that Ichigo learned a lesson from this fight: sometimes to protect you have to kill.

And who taught him that lesson? Zangetsu.

Who was speaking in the 4th and 5th lines in that transformation sequence? My bet is “Zangetsu” (Quincy Zangetsu) or Tensa Zangetsu. And who was speaking in the 6th, 7th, and 8th lines? Zangetsu.

What was Zangetsu protecting? Ichigo. That’s his instinct. That’s all he cares about protecting, just like Tensa Zangetsu. He sure the fuck wasn’t protecting Orihime or Uryuu. And the mask of ‘Full Hollow Ichigo’ is there to protect those instincts. And the mindless rage of ‘Full Hollow Ichigo’ is Zangetsu’s rage at Ulquiorra for trying to kill Ichigo.

We of course know from much later, in TYBW, that zanpakutou spirits aren’t some separate entity from the wielder, but are the wielder (hence why we go from “The Blade and Me” to “The Blade IS Me”) which Ichigo will affirm in the reforging of his into the “two Zangetsus.” So this can ultimately be read as self-preservation instinct. These are the aspects of Ichigo that were willing to do what he himself consciously wouldn’t in order to stay alive.

(Also, Uryuu was an idiot and wrong to stop Zangetsu as Ulquiorra still clearly constituted a threat, so he frankly got what he deserved, if a bit harshly.)

In summary, not only did the fight above the dome in Las Noches not have anything to do with protecting Orihime, but it was entirely about Ichigo’s character development and relations with the personifications of his powers, and everyone has been reading it completely fucking wrong for years and years.

If you don’t know, now you know.

[tendous-socks]

HI IMAGINE BEING KATAKURI’S S/O BUT LIKE- YOURE NORMAL SIZED LIKE THIS

I JUST IMAGINE THAT YOUD BE PERCHED ON HIS SHOULDER LIKE A PARROT- SNACKING ON SOME DONUTS OR SOME SHIT

OR YOU MIGHT JUST A LITTLE HOLE ( he doesn’t notice???? ) AND SO ITS LIKE A SLEEPING BAG GOR YOU AND JUST GET COMFY AND OMG THE FIRST TOME YIU DID THIS YOU WERE TAKING A NAP AND IT SCARED THE EVER LOVING SHIT OUT OF HIM CAUSE HE THOUGHT HE DROPPED YOU

SO HERE OUR 40+ FOOT GIANT IS SLIGHTLY PANICKING ( internally of course ) AS HE RETRACES HIS STEPS TO FIND WHERE HE DROPPED YOU.

WHILST HES SEARCHING HE LIKE - FEELS AROUND HIS SCARF CARFULLY AND - whys there a lump?

already on his way to a restroom he tries to whisper your name but - alas you’re sleeping ! and he finds out about the hole 🧍🏻🧍🏻🔪

a lil mad but he can always get it patched up ig, he’s just worried that it’ll turn bigger and it’ll show his mouth.

but you also sometimes thread the fur on his scarf to make a little sack for you to stay on

OH IH and when he’s in battle he pretends to go and tie his boot but then it’s really jsut for you to escape behind him and you always meet up when he’s finsihed fighting and like

ugh

though he does wonder what snuggling feels like. the drastic height difference not helping at all.

( tho i did see a scenario where he adjusted his pp sooo ) sometimes he’ll shrink himself ( not too much ) to snuggle and like- imagine doing it in his big ass beg too

OKAY BUT IMAGINE HIM HOLDING HIS HAND OUT ON HIS DESK ( palm facing the sky ) AS YOURE JUST LIKE- NAPPING OR EVEN JUST LOUNGING AROUND ON HIS PALM HGHH

OR LIKE JUST LIKE- STAY WITH ME- I JUST GOTTA GET IT OUT HERE BUT LIKE BOTH OF YOU IN THAT ROOM ( idk i haven’t actually gotten to this arc yet ) AND LOKE THERES TWO PILES OF DONUTS- one human size and his special size ) AND YALL JUST BOTH EAT IN COMPLETE SILENCE AS YOURE PERCHED ON HIS SHOULDER- or hey even knee

or hey- even next to him in your own little chair a bit away from him so he doesn’t step on you on accident 😻

( but this only happens when he completely comfortable with you- and if you’ve been together for a while )

- he calls you his ‘ thumbelina ‘

- feel like he bought you fairy wings as a joke- almost cried seeing you wear them djskekck

SHHEEEEEZZZZZZ

IM IN LO V E i tell ya-

i’m tellling you he got someone to make a little pocket for you in his jacket ( claimed that it was for extra donut storage so it turned out a little big than expected )

but i imagine that when luffy goes to fight him he just sees you just chilling- snacking on whatever- he thinks he kidnapped you! D:

“ OI ARE YOU OKAY ?? WHAT ARE YIU DOING IN THERE! ILL COME SAY YOU “

y’all just look at eachother “ he talking to me babe ? “

literally takes off his jacket lightly and tells you to escape awww

luffys lkke- YOU FUCKING CRUSHED THEM TF

[xsecretblastsx]

1x14 - The Blair B*tch Project

A new week (well not so new) and a new recap. This episode is so Mean Girls Upper east side version, and it was fun. 

As usual, recap after the break 

Thoughts I had while Watching the episode:

Is always such a delight to star an episode with one of Blair’s Audrey Hepburn inspired dream sequences, this one in particular is one of my all time faves though.

“You don’t have anyone” auch, also very simliar to watch said to her on the last episode :(

“I’m in mourning of my old life” I wonder how many times Blair thought that through the whole show

Chuck annoying Serena to no end will never get old.

So was this suposed to be Bart’s penthouse?

Chuck was always so charming with Lily, and it’s curious because it was genuine. Same with Eric,he was nice since the beginning, honestly the merging of the Van der Bass family is one of my fave plot points in the show.

I wonder what Serena did on spring break that she hadn’t talked to Blair.

This is why women say men are the worst, so Chuck and Nate get to be all offended by the mere sight of Blair, as if she was the only one in the wrong here. 

Poor Blair, yoghurt is so sticky. Also I’m not a fan of Nate here, he finds it funny and then he’s al concerned about Jenny’s tender nature. As if.

Nice and neutral would never work for Blair the same way it works for Serena, even if she wanted to. 

The way Jenny came up with a plot against Blair on the spot just to avoid an expensive dinner, like wow.

“Don’t put your dirty package on the table, If i had a dime for everytime i heard that” Same Erick, same. 

Gotta love Blair and that hostess

Getting Blair to wait alone at Butler, that was brilliant Jenny, taking that dress.. not so much. She may be really smart and devious, but she still has a lot to learn.

Bart really was such a lousy dad, which in turns makes Chuck even more jaded and like to do worst, such a vicious cycle.

15000, for a custom made Valentino, auch Jenny.

Rufus is so naive here, but then again he doesn’t know Blair. Yet what she tells him about the struggle ain’t wrong. 

Wow she stole the same dress twice. I guess Little J no more. 

So Serena is annoyed by Chuck not only by his little pranks, but because he’s nice towards her mother and brother, that actually makes more sense in a way.

Also I love Lily’s line: “Chuck might be excentric but he’s not diabolical” it’s funny and also a bit telling of why Chuck actually likes her.

That was brilliant Blair, that Jenny cake is quite the thing. Also what the hell is she wearing.

Is ain’t wrong Rufus is kind of a hotty... for a dad. 

Even though she’s being talking about the same thing non stop, it’s funny to watch Dan complain about Serena talking to much, when he suffers from verbal diarrhea half the time, but who am I to judge

Blair really is in her bitch element here.

Jenny’s argument with her dad was so real, because both on them are right in some way. It ain’t easy. And once has to be either very mature or antisocial for it not to bother you.

I’ve said it before but I love Eric and his sense of humor, and he has some of the most underrated lines on this show, even deep and hard stuff is funny

It’s awful and yet I love that sweater with the dolphins Chuck’s wearing. I also would like to know why is so easy to feel bad for Chuck Bass.

Dan’s also super critical of his dad, and I’m like is there someone out there this guy doesn’t judge?

This is one of those times I wish I didn’t know what was coming, because I still remember how curious I was to see Jenny’s plan towards Nate.

Eric is quite loyal, being mad at Serena because she drove Bart to kick out Chuck.

Well played Jenny, well played, that last look she gaves Blair is sooo good, it’s the moment when Blair really realizes how worthy of an adversary Jenny is.

I love the ending of this episode, is one of my faves. It ends with an unlikely victory for Jenny, a tad of mistery, and a great song.

For real, I love “Sour Cherry” by The Kills.

When I think about my favorite episodes in S1 this one normally doesn’t came up, but I think it should. Is a really good one. Jenny’s the star of this episode and weirdly I don’t mind. I love her dynamic with Blair, especially in the first two seasons and this is the episode when it really takes off. This episode is also the start of the Van der Bass family which I also love for many reasons.

So Jenny and Blair, at the time of this episode this was one of Blair’s lowest points, she lost her Queen B title and not only that but she’s shunned out by everyone, even getting yoghurt dropped on her head, what a change. She says at the start of the episode that she’s in mourning of her old life, and while it was meant to be just a display of her dramatic personality, this is really the end of her old life, the Blair we met in the pilot had a completely different future ahead of her, pristine reputation, not as single crack in her pefect image, with a blue blooded boyfriend and a place at the top of the hierarchy, that Blair never came back entirely, and that’s good. Obviously it will take her the rest of the show to grow up and mature, but I like seeing her fight for what she wants in a way that lets her devious brain shine, and she got quite the adversary.

Jenny is in many ways the perfect rival for Blair. In theory Jenny shouldn’t be a formidable oponent in the way she is, she has no connections, no name, no money, and yet she plays the game almost better than anyone, she’s smart, ambitious an cunning, which are traits she shares with Blair. She’s also a hardworker and willing to do what it takes to get what she wants. This episode she shows how brilliant she because it was almost impossible to bounce back from getting caught with that dress she stole, and one can tell Blair thought that was a sound victory and she can’t quite believe when Jenny shows up with Nate and has claimed back her spot. It was great to see, and I some ways even I love Blair I find myself rooting for Jenny, she’s that good.

HonestlyJenny can give Blair a run for her money and yet I’m not sure she entirely realizes it, because Jenny is fighting against Blair’s shadow in her mind, she can win battles but I get the feeling she doesn’t believe she can win the war. In part because she still has a lot to learn, but in some ways I think Jenny feelsi at disadvantage againgst Blair in a similar way Blair feels toward Serena: a rival that is ahead on the race just by virtue of who she is, with envy and admiration in equal parts.To me their dynamic is interesting through the whole show because Blair even if the doesn’t want to admit it fears Jenny too, a new younger queen in the making, with the ability to knock her dow even it seems unlikely, it’s a tale as old as time, a bit like Queen Elizabeth the first and Mary Queen of Scots. And this is just the first episode of this battle,I really love this part of the show.

The other big plot this episode is the merging of the Van der Woodsen and the Basses which is great because we get to see more of these two broken families and learn more about them. Serena is obviously not happy about this,particularly the part about living with Chuck; at this point we know they were all friends before, but I got the impression out of the group they liked each other the less, with a poor opinion of each other. Their behavior throught the whole season reinforces that and honestly through the season Chuck has not given her even one small reason for her to like him, and I feel part of the reason Chuck was so eager to plot against Serena with Blair was because he got a first row sit to the mess she left when she run for boarding school, with a heartbroken Nate and a devasted Blair. And yet while Serena constantly sees the worst ih him, he’s actually trying for once, as hard to believe as that is for her.

If this episode made one thing obvious is how much Chuck always wanted to have a family, he’s genuine in his compliments to Lily as extravagant as they may seemed and he’s really good with Eric too, they took really quick to each other because they have felt inadequate at some point or another, he eventuanlly makes the effor with Serena too, as Eric explains to her when he gives her a message from him (which backfires, but no the point) and for all his bad qualities Chuck can be a very non-judgemental person when he wants it, this episode for instance Serena gets him kicked out of the penthouse and yet as soon as she apologizes and ask for his help he let’s it go. Because as we see his relationship with Bart is awful, his father always expects and believes the worst of him, and even when he’s nice it ends up being not genuine, and so for the first time via the Van der Woodsens he has the oportunity to get a family life that it’s more than that. 

At his core Chuck is a lonely person, which is part of the reason he latches so easily to Van der Woodsens here, sure he had Nate but that was it, and Nate as good hearted as he is not the most reliable person, it’s quite noticeable this episode, aside his new found relationship with the Van der Woodsens, since Nate has dropped their friendship he’s basically on his own in every scene this episode, even more son than Blair who was Serena, even if Serena is flighty and always gets caught up in something, and sure enought the episode ends up with the mistery of who is “G”, which was intriguing the first watch because imagine a person that gets even Chuck Bass like oh no! But that’s for next episode. 

Randoms bits I’ve noticed

The timing of this episode is sort of weird. Last episode seemed like it was the end of January or something like that, and now this one is  after spring break, and since thanks to gossip girl wikia, we know Jenny’s birthday is on March 30th, and Serena says to Blair about her “3 week old scandal” and I’m like, I mean it’s possible, but then the first to episodes after the holidays had to be like really way too long after the holidays, and that doesn’t makes much sense either.

We also got a new location for the school, I sort of like the other one better. 

When the girls throw yoghurt on Blair’s head, all the yoghurt cups are turne upside down. 

At the top of the piano there’s a picture of Chuck as a little kid (which is actually Ed), guess Bart wanted to a least gave the impression he care. I do love the fact the show asked the actors for photos of themselves when they were kids. The ones on top of the piano at the Waldorfs are pics of Leighton as a kid.

Feel like saying it againg, but  this was such a good ending:

[stormyweaver]

Okay so... *ahem* I feel like so far, my lil’ fics I’ve posted have had a decent balance of snz + story, which I personally like to read when I browse through stories in general. But uh... if you’re looking for balance/canon stuff/awesome wordiness, this ain’t it lol. This is pure indulgence that I drummed up one night and swore I would never show anyone. Then I decided ‘Eh, maybe someone else might get a kick out of it’ so! Without further stalling, here’s some pre-season 1 Wa/lking D/ead featuring Rick and Shane during their police academy days. 

"C'mon man, quit fightin' it!" "Shade, I swear to God I'm gonna... g-gonna..." "Gonna sneeze again? Hell, blind man could'a told ya' that," While a grinning Shane leaned against the end of the bed, Rick reclined off the side, hands shakily hovering over his nose. He'd had a cold for the past three days, and it finally made a head the day BEFORE their fucking latest physical test was scheduled. He could deal with the fatigue, aches and general malaise - he’d pushed through worse - but did he really have to sneeze every other minute?! "Ugh, n'do, I'mb-- hih!" Rheumy eyes glazed over, close to slamming shut as his nose twitched, tingles running rampant along the lining of his sinuses. He could fight it, he could, he just had to concentrate... "Swear to God, man, you look like you're about to cum," That- that did it. "hhiiIh-- ihhTSCHH! Hih'TXSHH! iiHHSHH! ih'SHH! 'TSHH!" The fit landed into his cupped palms point blank, each one spilling out until his body figured itself satisfied. Groaning, Rick grimaced at the mess left behind on his palms, leaning over to pluck a tissue from the box on his nightstand. "I'b blamig' you for that," Meanwhile, Shane merely side-eyed his friend, a light smirk on his lips."Told ya'. Bless you, anyway, like - times five? Shit, never could keep count with you," Teasing Rick had to be his favorite pastime, even vying for first with boning the hot chick from the local bar on the weekends. He was just too easy to get under the skin of, especially with how pathetically miserably he appeared. Though, Shane couldn't deny that, this particular jabbing session had an underlying purpose. After spending the last couple of days with a walking germ incubator, he'd already begun to feel a sore throat coming on day two. Now, there was a distinct heaviness lining his lungs, a sluggish lag creeping into his bones, and damn if he didn't wanna claw his own sinuses out. But like hell would he ever let Rick onto that fact. No willingly giving ammunition for being harped on, it simply wasn't allowed between them. The sound of Rick gently blowing his nose caught Shane's attention, another chuckle passing through his lips. "Can't imagine how you're breathin' through all that gunk, man," Going back to his book, Shane flinched as he felt something soft, papery and distinctly damp land atop his hand. Gagging, he quickly flicked the used tissue to the side, "Oh, fuckin' sick, asshole!" Turning around to reach up, he grappled for Rick's flannel to pull him onto the floor, but the other wasn't going without a fight. "Take's one to know one!" he shot back, shifting so he was on his belly and pushing himself back off the edge and out of Shane's grasp. Even the slight tousle had Rick coughing into his fist, but Shane didn't back down. Closing his book, he crawled atop the bed, taking the momentarily preoccupied Rick and pinning him down -- wrists in hand, knees locking his legs into place. Grunting in defiance, Rick shot daggers at his friend, not enough to really show anything besides a large irritation, though. "Dick," Shane merely shrugged, leaning in a bit to sing-song, "Take's one to know one~" with a snicker. Rick could only roll his eyes, sniffling heavily as he-- Oh, shit. He was gonna sneeze again. Though it would have been the ultimate revenge, the merciful part of Rick really didn't want to stack up the odds of his friend catching this. After all, Shane fit the mold when it came to who was a bigger asshole between them. Couldn’t go ruining that dynamic. "Shane, lem'be up," he insisted, shifting his hips between Shane's fucking thunder thighs as he wrinkled his nose tight. "Uh-uh, not 'til you say you're sorry 'bout tossing your snot rag at me..." His tongue prodded the inside of his cheek, "...aaaand you admit that I'm better at puttin' together a Remington. 'Cause you know it's the truth," Snorting, though Rick couldn't identify if it was indignant or reflexive, he began to squirm in earnest, shaking his head. "I-I'm serious, man, lebbe up, I gotta..." Rick felt his lungs begin to spasm, breath catching on the last word. Still clueless, Shane rose a brow at his friend, "What’s more important than tellin’ me I’m right? Nice try, but, nah. Jus' say it an' I'll let ya' go, brother," A sudden huff exited Rick's lungs, and this time his eyes rolled up in preparation of the sneezes just itching to barrel out of him. Shit, he had to move--! "S-Shane, I... I gotta... hiihhh!..." Oh, screw it, he wasn't gonna go through this again. Maybe it was time for a little bit of payback for all that teasing. It seemed by the time Shane had put two and two together, brows raising just as Rick tilted his head back, flared nostrils exposed and damp. "hh'ITSHH'uh! ih'TSHHH'uh! hih'ISHHU!" Whether it was shock or slowed reflexes, Shane got hit smack in the face with the first one, raising an arm to shield himself from the next pair. He groaned in tandem with Rick, who allowed his head to fall back with a thick snuffle. "Ugh, damb that felt good," and a mildly satisfied smirk. Wait, his hand was free-- YES! Ignoring his streaming nose with another sniffle, Rick took Shane's momentary stunned state and flipped him onto his back, reversing their position in under two seconds. "You fuckin'--!" Shane started, attempting to break free from Rick's grasp, but even with a cold the man still knew how to pin someone down. Nostrils flared, Shane sighed and glanced off to the side, swearing again before peering up at Rick with a grimace. "Seriously couldn'ta warned me before ya' sprayed all that shit on my face?" A scoff flew past Rick's lips. "I tried! You wouldn't listen, stubborn ass," Sighing, he glanced down between them before giving Shane an exasperated look. "What, you wanna get me back?" Well... maybe it was kinda too far. Definitely gross. Shane had asked for it, but, Rick honestly hated seeing that hurt puppy dog look on the others face. Damn struck sympathy chords. "... Alright here, you can punch me in the arm, alright? That make ya' feel any better?" Before he could get an answer, Shane had been silently fighting an internal battle of his own. While Rick tried and failed miserably to stave off his fittish sneezes, Shane had actually been doing a fair job of ignoring the tingling within his own crooked nose. But with all the rough and tumbling, and surprise from being sprayed in the face, tingling had morphed into an all out itch. His expression was already going slack, eyes lidded as his lips parted to suck in air so as to fuel the inevitable sneeze. Rick, knowing that expression all too well by now, groaned and tilted his head to the side. "Jus' make it quick, man," Shane managed to gasp out a chuckle, bunching his nose up and down as the tickle worked his sinuses. "T-tryin', man," Fuck, he had to sneeze so bad, why wasn't it coming out?! He sniffed, heavily, feeling his chest expand beneath Rick -- and then nothing. Groaning, he squirmed a bit under Rick, his left leg beginning to job from the anxiousness of waiting. "Fuck, man, i-ihhh... i-it won't come out!" He gasped in disbelief, feeling ridiculous as his expression twisted all from a stupid tickle in his nose. Oh. Oh, geez. Rick glanced back to Shane in a mixture of awkwardness and pity - he knew how much a stuck sneeze sucked ass. And as much as his friend deserved at least a part of this, he wasn't a complete jerk. "Alright, alright hold on," Letting go of his wrists, Rick leaned over and yanked another tissue from the box, trying to ignore how... weird it felt, having Shane kinda writhing underneath him. "Tried this the other night, an'... look, it's weird okay?" He sighed, fingers twisting the tissue until it reached a fine point, "But it works so, jus' shut up and lemme help ya'," Shane wasn't about to say no - he'd wanted to sneeze in the first place, now this was just getting ridiculous. "I-I'd try snortin' p-pepper at tthis point," But, he reckoned a tissue would be a lot less painful. He tried not to tense up as his friend brought the implement to his nostrils, but he couldn't help seizing up once it slid past the rim. "huuhh--uhhh-uuUUH--" Still, nothing but build up, and he let out an audible groan. Rick tried not to wince at his friend's obvious discomfort, biting down hard as he attempted to wiggle the tool deeper into his nose. "Jus' try and relax, s'what I had to do. Uh... t-think of somethin' that makes ya' sneeze. Like that one girls perfume, last month, remember? Shit, thought you'd just about sneeze out the entire club that night, firin' one after the other. Think'a that, okay?" Oh God, that... Shane could recall with almost perfect clarity that night, not too long ago. Whatever cheap, heady scent the girl had on, it did NOT agree with his sinuses. Shane had little problem sneezing then, barely able to get a word in-between, and Rick all but led him out into the night air. But, it stuck with him, all over his clothes, his hair... so tickly... and he'd been so.... so fucking sneezy... "Hhhhoooh God, R-rick...! T-t-think it--  think it's wuhh-huh! w-workin'..." Shane's head had tilted back as far as it could go, and this gave Rick better access to really work at his nose. He wiggled the tissue,  giving twists as he slid it in and out of his friends nostril. Just seeing the way his expression was falling almost made Rick's own nose twinge in sympathy. "Uhhh-UHHH---!" He'd hit the spot. Rick assaulted the area as best he could, hand clenched onto Shane's shoulder as he encouraged him. "Jus' ooone more..." With that, he flicked the spear, twisting it twice before sliding it out, slowly, from Shane's nose. And that seemed to do it. "huuhh--hHHUUUH---HHH! HH! HHHUURRRUUSHHHOOO!" Shane finally released, so powerful a sneeze that he rose and bumped his forehead against Rick's with the force of it. "Ghh--!" Rick staggered backwards, falling back onto the bed with a hiss as his fingers rose to massage his temple. "Shit," he chuckled, cracking an eye open to glance at Shane, "Damn, when I said fire, I didn't mean liter-- Oh..." Anyone could tell by the hazy desperation on Shane's expression that he wasn't yet finished. Hitching softly, he brushed the knuckle of his index finger against the tip of his nose, a shudder running down his spine before he sneezed again, openly. "hhHUURUSHHHH'UHHh! hHHAHHH'KSHHH AAHHH'SHHH'huh!'hue... Ohhh, fugck," Shane moaned, ignoring the ache in his head in favor of massaging the sides of his nose. It still felt like he could sneeze his brains out, but a little less insistent than before. He sniffled, yes, full on sniffled, feeling tears trickle from his eyes and sighed. "... So, uh... think ya' mighta' got m'be sick," he mumbled stuffily, sniffling again and scrubbing at the side of his nose with a finger.

Rick could only huff out a congested sigh of his own, gazing at his friend with a small, apologetic smile as he passed him the box of Kleenex. “Misery loves company,”

[livayl]

The warmth of comfort that kindled a desire (Par 1)

I actually needed two weeks of building courage to post this because part 2 did slip into the 18+ category.  But in this part you´ll only have Marya and Amaziah both exhausted and coming down ill, comforting each other. At least as far as that goes with those two. ;) A little warning for a general description of war in the first paragraph, just skip that one if you want to. And don´t worry, the story is not violent or sad. 

And as always, please only re-blog it to other kink blogs, thank you. :)

The silence was one often heard after a long fought battle. Once the seemingly eternal clash of weapons, the song of blood and steel, had ended. When no more magic split the atmosphere with thunderous lightning bolts and all consuming flames. As soon as the last gigantic foe fell,  the earth trembling one last time in fear as the ground is crushed by it´s dead weight. Once all crying had stilled, the last breath was choked and even the bravest heartbeat deceased, this was when the silence became more deafening than the loudest roar.

And so their army marched, shrouded in screaming stillness. Ice cracked sharply underneath heavy set steps. A victorious return that still seemed to be too much of a loss. 

Dawning had tinted the snow deep lilac and painted the horizon a blazing orange-red. A fiercely smoldering sun rose from its slumber to awaken the coming day still wrapped in haze. The few trees and abandoned houses they passed where still no more than black silhouettes in front of the glowing skyline that shadowed their surroundings with twisted black shades. It was an eery yet appealing atmosphere that Amaziah would have enjoyed if not for the pungent stench of war and ashes that lingered even after leaving the battlefield long behind. Hugging her whole body tightly like an old lover resistant to be left unattended. Her magic; as destructive as it was: The only love she once thought of being exhilarating in all its clashing emotions had now turned to drain her deeply. Carving a big hollow space where it once could almost be described as all pervading. The turns her mind took made her snort derisively and silently chide herself. She really must be tired to indulge in such foggy nonsense instead of keeping watch properly. 

"Are you unwell?" A whispered voice asked as a small, gloved hand gently came to rest on her armor clad lower arm. Amaziah swore that she could feel good intentions melting into her like a pleasant warmth radiating through the icy metal trapping her skin. May it be the moments own kind of magic or her wishful imagination.

"Forgive me, just lost in thought. But you seem cold and exhausted, Love." She answered upon looking down, gently tightening the grip around the small figure seated in front of her. Maryas head titled back just enough to shift her hood and release a curled, lustrous mass of hair into the open. The ever present wind entangled those silky wisps even more, making them dance and waft around a shockingly haggard looking face. The still dim light made it hard to tell but Maryas usually bright blue eyes seemed veiled and unfocused with eyelids at half-mast and lashes breathed on by frost. They also were unusual shiny, almost feverish and  deeply embedded into the lilac shadows surrounding them. Her face appeared to have lost its color completely, hovering in between flowy coppery waves like a pallid ghost dappled in freckles. Full,  paled lips slightly parted under a rosy-tinted, very sniffly nose. Her body slightly swayed, if to balance out the wyverns fast pace or out of exhaustion was hard to tell.

  "I do? You should look into a mirror yourself more often." Marya said, her normal melodious speech all rough around the edges. Her body unconsciously pressed closer to the Archmages front, longing for comfort. "Oh I would for sure but there is always this angry, terrifying face that keeps staring back. It is haunting me." That made Marya laugh despite the circumstances which rapidly  turned into a rattling coughing fit. "Ugh. Now that was scary too..." She breathed, still panting, and shivery huddled deeper into her coat. "Here, let me try something..." Amaziahs strong yet delicate, already bare fingers gently plucked the fingertips of Maryas fine leather gloves to slowly undress her trembling hands. She could not help but to shudder a little more as her once sun kissed skin was exposed to a sharp frostbite inch by inch. Compared to the exquisitely soft, always warm dragonskin Amaziahs own seemed rough and cold when she entwined their hands with each other. Yet, how cold could a woman be that had defied the searing blaze of a dragon just to defend others. And to give out wonderfully warm clothes, too apparently.

Marya startled a little as a prickling sensation started to spread from her hands up to her arms. It was not unpleasant and seemed vaguely familiar. She concentrated hard enough to recognize her veins resonating with the well known, almost erratic, seething pulse which infused the battle mages body. One that could be as feeble as a freshly ignited candles flame dancing in a breeze, only to grow to a burning, all consuming blaze within a heartbeat should the winds turn. For a second it felt like an overwhelming wave erupting through a bursting volcanoes crater. It flooded her with almost unbearable heat that took her breath away only to lessen to a slowly flowing stream of constant warmth not unlike magma- albeit less deadly. The Archmage; a hardly controlled force of nature. Not that this was something unusual. 

"Forgive me, that did not go entirely as planned." "Oh so you did not want to ignite me?" "Mhmm not today at least, no. Does it feel fine now?" Maryas focus went inward once again. The steady flow of magic had now unfurled throughout her whole body. It felt like floating in silky hot healing water with one of those bubbling bath soaps. Of course no one ever would add one of those to a healing basin. Though it should have been something worth consideration. They were perfumed nicely and felt so fizzy and- really really tingly? Tickling her almost too much to enjoy- "apTSCHIh!-ISSCHuh!- hah-ITSCHiiuh! Ihhh-s it supposed to tickle my nnnh-nose?" The sensation had peaked too fast for her to unwind her hands from Amaziahs grip and had left her no choice but to sneeze openly down her lap. "That tickle seemed to be rooted somewhere else." Amaziah replied, still reluctant to loosen her grip despite Maryas increasingly desperate efforts to squirm out of it. "Whah-hah-TSCHih!- hdt~TSCHIU! -apTSCHIEW! What a shame. I thought- hii-IIISCHHiuuh! you found a new battle strategy. SNNFFFff please let go of my hands." "But then you´ll be cold again." "Spitting all over the place is not much better!" Amaziah unwillingly agreed to free one, but not without a ridiculed glance down her still blood stained armor. She wrinkled her brow at that thickly clotted mass of charcoal frost-giant-leftover still coating her whole right side. "I've been splattered with worse today." She paused while Marya cleaned her nose with a gurgling blow that ended with a pair of raspy coughs. "You could try to sleep a little. We will reach the outpost before mid morning and as much as I already despise it, I´m sure there will be plenty more in need of your services."

There had been more indeed. Not enough to be numbered as plenty but a sufficient amount to reduce her still battle deprived mental and physical resources to a shaking, almost nonexistent core. Marya could almost feel Amaziahs worried gaze burning through her back as she had finally been dismissed to retreat to their shared tent. Her mind was drifting in and out of a fevery blur, only vaguely aware of the outstretched arm behind her. She was carried on heavy legs that felt numb with exhaustion, one wavering step after the other. Suddenly, her complete range of vision seemed to loose fight against an ever present, approaching darkness that had patiently lurked in the corners. Focus blackening and eyelids barely lifting anymore, everything so heavy as if smeared with glue, she realized: I´m about to pass out.

When she regained consciousness it was mainly through the slightly irregular rise and fall of her pillow. But pillows did not move or breath. Right? Nor should they feel that solid. She blearily rubbed her face deeper into the thing she recognized as a shoulder connected to a small yet soft curve she knew all to well. Her hand was placed above a slightly hollow, firm belly that contorted in rhythm of every hitch. And there, under a mutually used cozy blanket, was that protective grip on the small of her back she had come to appreciate.

Marya also realized that faint, but oh so familiar smell of bergamot paired with a deep underlining of sandalwood that finally teased her out of that fuzzy warm place her mind must have hidden in. That she was able to discern it also confirmed that she felt much better. Less the stuffy, achy and overall exhausted mess she had been just a blink of an eye ago. Eyes still closed she was still wondering how she had managed to retreat to their shared bed when the former light, yet recurring  hitch suddenly accumulated to an urgent gasp. Which then accumulated in a single, violent and full-bodied attempt to stifle what hardly could be contained. The action, while relatively quiet, shook her as well and made her rip open her eyes as she needed to steady herself. 

"Woah. Gesundheit!" She exclaimed as the surprise had chased away any afterthought of drifting back to sleep again. Amaziah, who obviously still struggled to compose herself, just looked at her. All teary eyed, disheveled and maybe more than a bit embarrassed. "Apologies." "No worries." Marya giggled as she draped first herself and then the blanket back over the Archmages body. "How do you feel? Did the potion work?" Amaziah asked. "Much better actually. Was I unconscious for long?" "No, a minute or two at best. But you've slept for a few hours, which I am really glad for." "Were you able to sleep, too?" Marya then asked, growing increasingly worried at the heat radiating off the Archmages usually cool body. Now, upon close inspection, there were also lots of tiny, gleaming beads of sweat glistening on her feverishly hued skin. "Mhmm... I did not feel tired." Amaziah replied elusively. "Also, I had to resume my likewise infinite war with the oh so dreaded paperwork" She added, chin nodding to her side where different scrolls and books littered the otherwise unoccupied half of the bed. "Did you at least have a potion? I could brew you one." Marya offered. She was readying herself to get up again but was swiftly and very decisively hindered with a smooth pull and an even softer kiss. "No. Potions are for those who are in need of them. And you still have to rest." "But you are ill, too!" "Hardly." "Of course. As much as I enjoy cuddling with you, your clothes are about to be drenched in sweat. And you almost threw me out of the bed with that sneeze a minute ago!" "I did not sneeze." "Oh? Then that suppressed monstrosity was a seizure. Which is even more worrying. And- ooh look, it is about to happen again!" To that the Archmage almost frantically shook her head, whether in denial or to ward of the inevitable did not seem too clear. Her flaring nostrils, increasingly deepening inhales and knitted browline did speak a much more obvious language though. As did the suddenly handkerchief-clad hands that flew up to cover a harsh sounding: "Huh-EESCCCH-AH..." quickly followed by a rushed, hastily muffled and messy "HEHIIZSSSCH-ue!" that rattled both of them. Amaziah could not help but to cough and blow productively in the aftermath. When she was finished the effort left her nose red rimmed and still vaguely shiny with fluid. "Ugh- I am disgusting, forgive me." The Archmage mumbled, nose already crinkled and twitchy with a newly rising discomfort that made her sit up and turn away. "No, you are ill." Marya soothed and hugged her Love from behind. "With me that-..." Amaziah stopped and raised a vaguely trembling hand towards her lower facial regions. There it came to rest securely caged around her mouth with a thumb and forefinger already hovering around each widened nostril. She felt each slight expansion tremble against her fingertips as the next inhale reached a sudden crescendo. Her grip tightened in a fruitless attempt to squelch her stubborn nose into submission that ended with a painfully held back, entirely unsatisfying release. Quickly followed by an almost agonized groan. "Excuse me...With me that amounts to the same thing, I´m afraid."

[ichinoue]

You know how dramatic and pretty the anime made that moment in the Ichigo vs. Grimmjow fight when Orihime said "You don't have to win, just please don't get hurt anymore"? That makes me soooo excited to see how well the new anime will bring the IH moments to life. That moment was so great in the anime!

Yeah exactly!! Here is a gifset of that moment for reference, (it leaves out Orihime’s plea to him to not get hurt, but I’m just talking about the overall  aesthetic), but even gifs don't compare to watching and hearing the scene in action. Like the page in the manga was beautiful in itself but, aesthetically speaking, in the anime you can see the colors and definition of the light, the glimmering streams of light surrounding Orihime, to the point that she looks like this giant sun or glowing angel standing on top of the pillar, cascading down onto Ichigo like she's his savior (which, she was lol. Orihime calling out to him was the turning point of the entire Grimmjow battle), and Ichigo looking back at her in slow-motion just completely awestruck, and all you can hear is their breathing, and you see Ichigo's eyes change in surprise, and Orihime's eyes welling up with tears, and the animators made everything kind of white and blurred around the edges so all you can really see as the viewer is their faces--because that's what Ichigo and Orihime were seeing in that moment, completely zoned in on each other to the point that everything surrounding them just disappeared (including Grimmjow, the guy who was just pummeling Ichigo into the ground seconds before).

The anime may have its faults, but I think they did a really beautiful job in that moment and I'm hoping to see more of that in the final arc animation.

[sf-akahana]

B Support (snzfic)

Fi//re Em//blem 3 Houses fic based of Dorothea's B support with Byleth.  This is written from Dorothea's perspective and I copied the lines straight from how it's written in game, so you might want to watch both the female and male version of that conversation if the dialog reads a little stiff sorry.  The voice acting in both English and Japanese is good anyway so I suggest it.  I purposefully used gender neutral pronouns so you can pick which ever version on Byleth you prefer.  Hope you enjoy my frantic 5am thirst ramblings

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

I can’t help but grumble a bit to myself as I reread the notes from today’s lecture; even though I wrote everything down it feels like I didn’t retain any of it.  It’s not my fault though, Professor Byleth’s just so distracting!  How am I supposed to focus on what they’re saying when they’re looking at me like that?!  I heave a heavy sigh and try to focus my attention back on the lesson, when I’m interrupted by a familiar monotone voice.

“What’s wrong?”

I whip around in surprise - speak of the devil.  There they are with their blank expression and piercing gaze, and as our eyes meet I already start to feel my ears heat up.  Dammit.

“Professor?!  I – Oh… don’t worry.  It’s nothing.”

They quietly accept my answer and seemingly wait for me to go back to my work.  Under normal circumstances I would have appreciated it, but honestly this is getting ridiculous.  I can’t be constantly distracted by my own teacher; I have to find a way around this or else there’s no reason for me to be here!!  I take a second to gather my thoughts before I meet their eyes again.

“Actually, could we talk for a bit?  Somewhere a little more...private?”

I work hard to come across as sincere as possible; it’s too easy to let flirtation slip into a question like that and get brushed off.  Their expression barely changes, little more than raising their eyebrows, but it’s enough that I know they understood.  I don’t bother to wait for an answer as I turn around and walk out the dinning hall towards the first floor dorm rooms.  Not long after a set of footsteps click on the stone pathway just behind me.  I use the silence of our walk to come up with a good way to start this conversation, but by the time we close my bedroom door behind us I still don’t have the right words.  We stand facing each other saying nothing for a few moments before I decide to throw caution to the wind.

“I’m just gonna come right out and say it.  I find you a little difficult to be around.  I know, I know.  I’m your student and you’re just trying to watch out for me.  But the way you look at me sometimes… it’s like you’re seeing right through me.”

The change in their expression is again subtle, but I’ve always been pretty good at reading others.  They’re a person of few words, and I can see the gears turning in their head as they carefully choose the right ones.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize.  I know you don’t mean anything bad by it.  I’m just self-conscious, I guess.  The thing is, I don’t have anything to call my own.  No land, no birthright, no fortune.  Little knowledge or battle skill.  I think that’s why I always clung to my popularity as a diva.  Even after leaving the stage behind, I sort of kept up the act.  When I look at you, it’s like your eyes are accusing me… Telling me that you see right through it.  That’s what I mean when I say it’s difficult to be around you.”

I didn’t mean to get so personal with the professor and to dump all my baggage on them, but now that I’ve started I just can’t stop.  And of course, they just stand their quietly and let me ramble uninterrupted.  I take a deep breath and meet their piercing eyes again, the heat moving from my ears to my cheeks as an idea forms in my head.

“Hey, uh, this might be nuts, but maybe you could show me some kind of weakness of yours?”

“Excuse me?” Their eyes immediately widen in shock, and though not as much as other people this is the most expression I’ve gotten this whole conversation.  The reaction gives me a little confidence as I continue on with my silly request.

“You know my biggest fear.  If I know one of yours, maybe I’ll feel less, I don’t know… vulnerable.”

They look pensive for a moment, hesitation clear to see as they seemingly way the pros and cons.  I’m not oblivious as to how showing a student your weakness could be uncomfortable or embarrassing, but honestly that’s what I’m going for.  Anything to humanize them.

“Well, if it would really help...”

“Excellent.  Well then, don’t mind me.”  Just as they promised they wait patiently as I quickly try to think of something to get a reaction out of them. Something ridiculously human, something involuntary.  Tickling maybe?  Though they are wearing a lot of clothing, they might be able to endure it.  The only thing exposed is their...face - that’s perfect!!  I couldn’t quite help my grin as I fiddled through my gift drawer.  Right on top was a pretty white owl feather, the very same one Professor Byleth gave me for my birthday over tea not but a few weeks ago.  I’ve been meaning to sew into into my cap, but now I’m glad I haven’t gotten around to it yet.  I have to keep myself from skipping back across the room as I hold up the feather just above their beautifully pointed nose.

“Is this still ok, Professor?”  With a small look of reluctance, they take a deep breath and nod their head.  Though there’s no color across their cheeks, their eyes drift away from mine as I tip their chin back slightly, and I will happily take that as a show of embarrassment at this oddly intimate act.  From this angle it was hard not to notice Byleth’s beautiful skin and perfect jaw, but then no ever one said the professor isn’t attractive.  I take a deep breath of my own before stealing my nerves and starting on my work.

The first touch of the feather to their upturned nose gets little reaction, but I’m in no hurry right now.  I take my time tickling around the nostrils and up the septum.  It’s almost mesmerizing watching the muscles around the nose tick slightly at the sensation, a little scrunch of the nose here and a shallow sniff there.  Soon their nostrils are flushed pink under the attention of the feather, Byleth’s eyes squinting up at the ceiling and their arms crossed tightly across their chest to deal with the itch.  It’s only then that I decide it’s time to get the real reaction I’m looking for.

As I ease the feather slowly into their left nostril their nose immediately scrunches up, a gasp muffled through their teeth and a visible shudder tensing their shoulders.  I can feel my grin stretch across my face; this is exactly what I’m looking for.  It makes me feel in control, a little sadistic even.  I keep my fingers underneath their chin as I twirl the tickly tool deeper into their nostril, the tip of the feather brushing lightly against their sinuses, and soon I’m treated by their first desperate sound; a little whine as their nostrils flare out trying to escape the tickling.  I’m treated to more gasps and soft noises as I continue to tease the sensitive spot I found, and it isn’t long until Byleth is hitching in earnest.

“ah! hihh...hhIh-hIHh!! ehh-hIH!”

They’re shoulders are tensed up so they don’t jerk away from me and their hands have moved from their chest to hovering just below mine, ready to catch the sneezes when I finally bring it out of them.  Though it seems they were too impatient to wait for me to finish it, as a sharp sniff triggeres a desperate breath in preparation for the fit.  They quickly pushed my hands away and back up a few steps, though to my delight they don’t obscure their face as they finally tip over the edge.

“hhHIHHHhh- AT’chuhh!! A’tchh! ‘tchuh!  hehh’eTCHhu!!  hiih...hEH!  ATCHhhu!! snff snf...”

Byleth pulls a nice handkerchief out of their coat as the fit comes to an end, and I stand pink cheeked and a little speechless as they clean themselves up.  Weirdly enough I’ll say I’m even a bit starstruck.  Usually a display so dramatic and impolite would take away from one’s attractiveness, but under these circumstances I can honestly say that it kind of has the opposite effect.  I quickly shake out of my thoughts as they clear their nose a final time, and my grin quickly spreads over my face once more.

“Goddess’ blessings, wow Professor that was dramatic.  I don’t mind though, you have pretty cute sneezes.  Next time you gaze into my soul, I know just how I’ll retaliate!”  I can’t help but giggle as I tease them a little, hoping to get just one more reaction out of them.  Byleth just smiles slightly though and doesn’t rise to my bait, no pink cheeks or nothing.  I let myself pout.

“Come on!  I thought that was funny.  I swear it’s like your heart isn’t even beating.”  Without missing a beat and with a completely black expression, they come back with-

“Actually, my heart isn’t beating.”

“Ha, don’t be so silly… Huh?  It really isn’t beating?! - Is what I’d say if I were more gullible.  You’re just fooling around, Professor.  I’m not sure how you did it, but that was a good one.”

___________________________________

|                                                                     |

| Byleth and Dorothea’s                                 |

| support level is now B!                                |

| Their motivation has also increased.           |

|___________________________________|