#how much are they the same? this is fascinating. i should contact them!!' but then it's like... take that to it's logical conclusion though

[asterdex]

i've seen people joke about it but... is there any kind of consensus within the community regarding the player and Gaster's relationship? is it something that everybody just naturally agrees on and doesn't talk about it because there's no point to it or am I just going crazy on my own??

like yeah sure, first and foremost, we have the tweets written by Gaster himself and addressing the player, either rejoicing in seeing us showing the same kind of interest and fascination in him that he does for us, or describing how wonderful and special that "connection" we have is, how it makes him feel to be connected with us and how specifically "beautiful" and "exciting" it is for him to enter in contact with us.

Or talking about HE and WE specifically feel about each other, and going on about creating something together, as partners- i mean as a team.

And then we have the Goner Maker sequence, during which he keeps going on and on about how "wonderful" our creation is, guiding us step by step towards the realization of the EMBODIMENT of a player's freedom in a video game : their own avatar. Gaster is the only one in this game who is actively giving the player that much freedom, who is trying so hard to accomodate the player, to fulfill their wants and needs.

(unsure if it still needs to be said nowaday but no, the person discarding our vessel isn't Gaster, they talk in a different typer (given the fact Gaster's typers are always 666 or 667, it seems important to note that this new person talk in typer 2), not using any upper-cases, and not remotely talking in the same way (in japanese even more obviously than in english : Gaster talks in broken katakana japanese with some kanji while the other voice talk in hiragana and complex kanji. they also don't use the same second person pronouns when talking to the player), so yes, Gaster is STILL the character who seems to (at least in appearance) want THE MOST the player to be the most confortable possible, out of every other character in this game)

This idea of Gaster giving the player AS MUCH freedom as he can, in a world that seemes to be DESIGNED for us not to have any freedom, is first obviously supported by the way he is takling about "CREATING A NEW FUTURE" with our help, suggesting that OUR power as a player should be able to change the future and that it is in his interests for us to find the freedom leading us to that "NEW FUTURE", but it is also implied with the fact it seems that it is Gaster who is giving us access to three different save files, as we can see him talk and comment each one of our actions in the menu of an incomplete Ch1.

Gaster is ON THE PLAYER'S SIDE. or at the very least, he's doing a very good job at pretending he is. And it makes sense for him to be the only character who seems to INCONDITIONALLY support the player : he's the only one who seems to truly understand WHAT is the player, at least more than every other characters in this game. (there's an argument to be made about Ralsei, who seems to also only want the player's happiness, but 1. he doesn't really have the power to accomodate the player like Gaster does, so each one of his attempt to please us either end in just giving us fake hope, or being cancelled out by Susie (who seems to naturally oppose the player whenever she does something), and 2. unlike Gaster, Ralsei is CLEARLY suffering from always trying to please everyone else, especially the player, for whom he believes he needs to play the role of a LITERAL background character who's only here to serve and make them happy. Ralsei suffers from trying to please the player, while it seems like Gaster only gets enjoyment out of it, repeatedly stating that being connected to us is as wonderful for him as it is for us)

And the way Gaster views the player has become a bit clearer with his Ch3 and 4 messages, that can be used on top of his usual Game Over dialogues to suggest that he is watching us play at all times, is rooting for us, knows things about how this world works that we don't and is willing to give hints when he feels like it is necessary, and can be genuinely impressed by "our power", supposedly our determination and/our our pure game skills.

His Game Over message could even be interpreted as him trying to emotionally manipulate us into trying again, even when we told him we've given up, telling us how our absence led the world to be "covered in darkness", before cueing a very sad rendition of his own theme before closing the game after 66 seconds. Bro is literally looking at us through the screen with the saddest look in his eyes trying to coax us into trying again by making us feel bad. Maybe he DOES really need us as much as he says he does.

And maybe the most interesting recent dialogues of them all, at the end of Ch4, he congratulates the player for making it this far, quickly mentions how long we will need to wait for the next chapter/connection... Before refering to Deltarune as "HIS" DELTARUNE??

Up until that very moment, Gaster has always talked about "the future", "this world" as a 'team effort', always including us in the realization of it all, making us feel like we WERE an important part of whatever scheme he has in mind... Hell, sometimes he even talks as if THE PLAYER'S actiosn were actually ALSO his ("SHALL WE HASTEN?" against the Knight, when in reality the player is doing all the hard work here), which didn't seem strange because as a TEAM, that kind of way to speak is pretty normal. but in this moment, it somewhat feels like Gaster is trying, or at least thinking about taking ownership over everything "we" have created together. Was it his intention since the beginning, or is he just stating to love this game/world so much he's subconsciously seeing it as "his" and having troubles sharing it with the other person who helped reaching its realization? or maybe are we not completely understanding our role in his plan yet?

And all of this, all of this weird undertone of codependant relationship between Gaster and the player, this mutual fascination and genuine feelings for one another, whatever those feelings can be, ALL OF THIS without even talking about the Demon/Angel parallels we could ALSO talk about regarding how the relationship between those two transdimensional entity could go.

Let's assume the player is the Angel. (The Angel is said to "light up the path" of believers, the player's soul's distinctive power is to produce light on its own. The Angel is said to be "watching over" the world and people, the player's pov seems to come from the sky, from "HEAVEN" some could say. The Angel is traditionally represented without facial features, as Noelle and Dess's doll's description at the hospital points out, and the we are unable to see how the Angel looks like in the prophecy, which would make a lot of sense if the Angel was supposed to be the player, someone who, inherently, has to be faceless to represent ALL of us. The player's soul gets trapped under an Angel doll at Noelle's house. The Titan we see in Ch4 uses a lot of the imagery typically associated with the Angel, and first appears with an image suggesting a "real human face". That is SOME of the reasons why it's easy to assume the player is the Angel, at least in SOME versions of DR's reality (for example it would be possible for Noelle to take the role of the Angel in a Weird Route or something, the same way the Angel was two people at the same time in UT ; one benevolent Angel, and one Angel of Death, depending on the run the player is doing)).

Gaster has always been associated with demonic symbolism, the most obvious of which being the repeated connection he has with the number "6" : the typer associated with him is 666, in both UT and DR, his hidden stats in UT are filled with 6s, each one of the funvalues directly calling him by name are all happening between 61 and 65 (which is also why it is so commonly accepted to say that the mystery man from the funvalue 66 is supposed to represent Gaster himself in some way), the theme DARKNESS FALLS, as previously mentionned, is 66s seconds long, etc...

Interestingly enough, supporting the interpretation of these "666" as being the Devil's number, Gaster also made an appearance in the "demon text" of UT during a very short period of time : alongside a text CLEARLY written by Chara, "the demon who comes when people call its name", another line appeared in PRECISELY the version 1.05A of the game, saying "HE IS". (for more information on the demon texts if you are interested here is a post by Underlore talking about it)

It makes sense for Chara to be present in the DEMON text, because they call themself a demon, and it makes sense for Gaster to be there as well, as he's so often associated with the number 6. and ironically enough, while Chara is the demon who comes when people call its name, when we first name them at the beginning of the game, we are UNABLE to write or hear the name of Gaster in most playthrough. In a way, it's as if he's specifically a foil to Chara, the demon who comes when people DOESN'T call its name, haha.

And this makes sense with WHAT Chara is supposed to be : Chara is the player's completionist will, what pushes them to conquer and consume every last bit of a game, leaving nothing left behind them, metaphorically "destroying" worlds for their own entertainment. But, because of his very special status in the game, Gaster just cannot be "consumed" like every other content can ; he is often the very last thing keeping people interested in UT, when everything else has been read and analyzed, only him stays "unsolved", everything one can know and believe to understand about him feeling like a bottomless pit of endless possibilities. Literally the one thing the player needs to satiate Chara. Endless content, because incomplete.

Gaster has always given the player what they wanted, ever since UT. He is in a way the opposite force opposing the player's will to SEE and DO everything, because he is the content they will never be able to SEE and TRULY interact with, but this is this exact force that makes the player feels so connected to the world ; if the content is seemingly endless because unreachable, then the illusion of a fictional world being infinite is achieved. and as a result, the player becomes obsessed with that world that seems oh so real.

Because of this duality between these two, it could be easy to suggest the possibility that Gaster isn't "just" a demon, but The Devil, acting as a counterpart to The Angel, the player. After all, it is Gaster with whom we made a suspicious deal at the very beginning of DR, giving him our SOUL regardless of what the consequences would be.

Who else would offer a deal with such absolute conditions than the Devil itself, the one who is represented by the number 666, the one who we are told to "beware" from the very first time we hear about him.

All of this to say i do not think it would be so wild to assume that, with everything that we know about how the player's and Gaster's goals, wants and ENTIRE EXISTENCES allign but also complete one another, it wouldn't be so out there to believe that maybe, similarly to how Flowey in UT became obsessed with the player because they were the only person existing at a similar plane of existence as him, the player and Gaster would develop very strong feelings for one another, because they are the only ones in this fictional world who see it as a fictional world, the only ones who understand one another, and who can help each other effortlessly, simply by following their own instincts.

TL;DR i ship the player and Gaster and i made it everybody else's problem

[icewindandboringhorror]

I occasionally wish to reach out to old friends/acquaintances I haven't spoken to since high school/some other even earlier time in my life, but I have SOOO little social energy even for required tasks (like making dr phone calls or etc), I never have any leftover for extra ones, and it would be very odd to message someone I haven't spoken to in like 5 years out of the blue but then take 4 entire months to respond back lol.. My natural curiosity with nostalgia/collecting details of the past/etc. (literally if I were born a little earlier I would definitely do scrapbooking or something lol) is very strong, but, alas, not strong enough to beat out the Social Issues Demons apparently

[thewistlingbadger]

Analyzing Viktor's eyes:

We've talked about how Jayce is never repulsed or afraid of the major changes to Viktor's body and accepts him instantly whenever he sees something that should not be the way it is when it comes to Viktor's body. What we have YET to talk about is just how Jayce doesn't turn away from Viktor's purple and metal body, he does not turn away from Viktor's steel and muted eyes and I think this is VERY IMPORTANT.

Because in season two Viktor's eyes are somewhat symbolic of his humanity. Viktor's eyes are naturally yellow and are one of the most distinctive elements to his design but after his transfusion with the hexcore they become this empty gray that sometimes changes color. It looks very weird and inhuman and nothing like Viktor. The only time we see Viktor's natural eyes in season two is in the astral plane, where he also maintains his season one hairstyle and features and build. However once Viktor goes full machine herald his eyes are completely gone. His face is split in half and the eyes of his mask contain no pupil or iris. It is only two glowing slits of yellow, both in the astral plane and in the actual world (although in the actual world Viktor's "eyes" actually take on a spherical shape but still it is literally just two glowing spheres of yellow). ADDITIONALLY even though is face is split we can still see it under the mask and we see his eyes are CLOSED. As if he is closed off from his humanity after fully becoming the machine herald or just refuses to look at it or the consequences of his actions.

It is JAYCE who's responsible for the return of Viktor's natural eye color once Viktor has become the machine herald. Viktor's machine herald mask in the astral plane BREAKS because Ekko throws the z drive directly at Viktor's face. We're able to see half of Viktor's real face and half of his mask when Jayce reveals that Viktor was the mage all along. The mask does not fully come off until AFTER Jayce hugs Viktor in the astral plane and Viktor pulls away from the hug. Jayce's hug is why we're now able to see both of Viktor's eyes.

This whole journey with Viktor's eyes and the relationship between him and Jayce is very fascinating to me for several reasons:

Jayce took away Viktor's humanity by fusing the hexcore to him. But Jayce is also the same person that made Viktor realize that humanity was beautiful because of its flaws. He is the one that made Viktor human again, literally. Jayce is the reason why Viktor's eyes change color in the first place AND he is also the one that is responsible for them returning to their original color.

Jayce and Viktor spend a lot of time looking at each other throughout the show but ESPECIALLY in season two. The first thing Jayce does when he's actually reunited with Viktor after their initial separation and Jayce's trip to the bad au is STARE AT VIKTOR. Viktor looks so different and is floating in the air and all Jayce could do was stare at him. The next time they meet after this, Viktor tries to hold Jayce's eye contact in the astral plane but Jayce isn't in the astral plane with him. So instead of seeing Viktor's eyes Jayce just sees the cold face of someone Viktor turned into a machine. Jayce looks Viktor in the eye almost the entirety of their finale in the astral plane. The last thing Jayce and Viktor ever do in the show is look at each other AND they spend their final moments in the show facing each other but WITH THEIR EYES CLOSED!

Eye contact is very important to humans. Eyes in general are just really important to humans. Not only for the practical reason, to see things, but also on an emotional and spiritual level. "The eyes are the window to the soul." You can tell a lot about someone by the way their eyes look and how they look when they look at things. The pupils of our eyes grow and shrink based off what we're looking at and sometimes that dilation is in accordance to how much we like something. You can see in the finale that Jayce and Viktor's pupils are practically blown out they're so big. You can communicate a lot just by using your eyes, without ever saying a single word.

Jayce is never really aghast by Viktor's body no matter how horrific it looks because Jayce cares about Viktor. When he sees him on the brink of death in the council room and sees how his leg is glowing purple, his first thought isn't "what the fuck is wrong with Viktor's leg." His first thought is "I have to save Viktor from dying." When Jayce actually got Viktor to the lab and saw the entity of Viktor's body he wasn't thinking about how inhumane and wrong it looked. He was only thinking about how the hexcore better be able to fix Viktor. When Viktor is stable but unresponsive for several days after the transfusion, Jayce isn't thinking about Viktor's notes on his self experimentation or how Viktor's body had several runes carved into it. He was thinking about whether or not Viktor was okay. Whether or not Viktor was going to ever wake up. When Viktor DOES wake up and is entirely purple and shiny and able to walk without a mobility aid and stand up straight without a brace, his first thought is "what the fuck happened to me and to my body? What have I become am I still human what am I?" And Jayce's first thought to seeing a Viktor of purple, metallic flesh is "holy shit, it worked. It worked, Viktor is alive and awake and back." Towards the end of the show when Jayce sees the machine herald for the first time, he isn't terrified by the fact that Viktor is extremely tall and other worldly looking. He isn't disgusted by Viktor's third arm or distorted voice or lack of a face or his unnaturally slim waist. He doesn't even look phased or bothered at all. Instead, one of the first things he says upon seeing the machine herald is "there must be some part of you that's still in there." After this interaction, after Viktor and him fight and it seems like Viktor is going to take his life away from Jayce, Jayce STILL is adamant on the idea that Viktor, his friend, his partner of several years, is still alive. Jayce fully believes that Viktor is still within the machine herald and he has so much faith that he risks his own life and the lives of everyone else on his belief. As Viktor actually begins to turn Jayce into a machine, Jayce spends his last words telling Viktor about how his humanity is beautiful and how he still believes in Viktor. Jayce's wholehearted care for Viktor is what ends up saving everyone! Jayce sees Viktor's body go through horrific transformations throughout the season and it doesn't impact the way he views Viktor in the slightest. He saw the way Viktor's body looked and never asked a single question about it and never asked questions about Viktor's notes on self experimentation. So of course he's not phased by Viktor's eyes being a different color. Jayce is able to see Viktor's humanity even when Viktor doesn't look or act like a human.

But arguably the reason why I find this so fascinating, why I'm so intrigued that Jayce has no concern for the fact that Viktor's eyes are no longer yellow is because Viktor's eyes are arguably Viktor's most important feature TO JAYCE. Viktor's eyes and their color and their intensity is something that Jayce canonically has taken notice of and has found importance in. In the finale montage, we see a shot of Viktor from Jayce's perspective on the night they met. The shot is the exact shot used in the beginning of the show. When you compare the two shots, the one from act 1 s1 and the one from act 3 S2, they are IDENTICAL WITH ONLY ONE MAJOR EXCEPTION. VIKTOR'S EYES. Viktor's eyes in the shot used in the finale are MORE yellow, MORE intense, and more distinct than they were in the original shot at the start of the show. This shot is from Jayce's perspective, so it's showing us how Jayce perceived and remembered Viktor to be. This detail is the reason I even wanted to write this post. Viktor's eyes are clearly an aspect that Jayce pays attention to and yet he didn't utter a single word when he saw that they were completely different.

[kanalynn]

Not a request but a suggestion

What do you think of

Kurapika x Maomao reader? 👀

Kurapika x Maomao! reader headcanons

characters: kurapika kurta

based on: reader is based on maomao (the apothecary diaries)

author's note: i'm kind of in another fandom now, but it sounds really interesting to me! I think I can jot down some quick headcanons while I still have the interest! Thanks for the idea, i hope you'll like it ♡

• They probably first met when they were both Hunters. Kurapika knew about the 'young genius apothecary' before he met her in person, and when he did, he was amazed by her, her behavior and her knowledge of pharmaceuticals - he had never met anyone like her before. Sure, [Name] was a little weird... but that didn't bother him at all - he wanted to get to know her better. In the end, he realized that he truly loved her.

• [Name] was not inclined to close relationships, hoping to protect herself from all sorts of unpleasant outcomes, so it took her a long - really long - time to get used to Kurapika, polite, kind, and as reserved as she was - to begin to trust him and fall in love. She made contact and opened up to him very carefully, but in the end, it was worth it.

• Kurapika is truly in awe of [Name]'s abilities and her vast knowledge, and whenever she goes into a giant tirade about some poisonous flower, he listens to it from start to finish, trying not to miss a single word and remembering everything. [Name] really likes it.

• He finds [Name]'s curiosity and enthusiasm for interesting situations and other people's problems. He has investigated cases with her a couple of times and has been stunned by her almost always correct guesses, and at the same time, he is incredibly proud, although he shows it in a very reserved manner.

• However, Kurapika definitely finds her fascination with poisons disturbing and unhealthy. He worries about her health, and no matter how much [Name] convinces him that her body has become accustomed to poisons, Kurapika can't just forget about it or continue in the same vein.

• Kurapika finds [Name]'s 'cat-like reactions' absolutely adorable.

• Kurapika will of course tell [Name] about what happened to his clan, believing that she should know about such a part of his past. She, though not used to expressing support, sincerely tries to do so - and Kurapika really appreciates it. Perhaps [Name] will even join him in his revenge against the Phantom Troupe... but it is very unlikely - she does not want to directly get involved in something so dangerous, but, of course, she will help Kurapika from the shadows.

• Kurapika's scarlet eyes fascinate [Name]. She wants to study them thoroughly, and constantly asks him to help her with this. Of course, she never asks for anything more than frivolous experiments with his eyes - she would never use body parts of his dead relatives.

• Eventually, [Name] will tell Kurapika about her past as well. The idea that his girlfriend was raised in the Red Light District explains some of her personality traits to Kurapika... and makes him worry even more. He wants to know if he should be worried about what might have happened to her, but [Name] replies that it wasn't that bad and she was - and still is - good at deflecting attention. Still, he wants to know more, and she tells him everything he wants to know.

• It also explains why she faked the freckles on her face, and the idea that she had to do it for her own safety almost angered him. [Name] didn't understand it - after all, she was used to it by now...

• Kurapika might even meet [Name]'s family - her adoptive father, grandmother, and adoptive older sisters. He'll try to be as polite as possible, and he'll probably get along well with Loumen, Meimei, and Joka.

• In the end, Kurapika and [Name] just have a fairly trusting relationship that will take a long time to develop, but will become very strong. They really do love each other very much, but given their withdrawn personalities, they don't express it very well.

[nakidoriii]

Trouble (Part 2)

Nanami x Y/N Reader

Warning: smut || MDNI

*Link to part one at the bottom*

“Don’t get yourself in trouble.” His voice coated with lust.

You furrow your brows, cock your head to the side and say, “Why would I be in trouble?”

He lets out a laugh as he walks to your side of the desk. He towers over you while you stay seated. He was asserting his dominance and it was working. You look up at him with pleading eyes, speechless as to what is about to happen next.

“What is it that you want, Y/N?” He teases you, blurring the lines between seductive and casual.

“I-uh, I want…I.” You stumble over your words as he stares down at you with a straight face.

He gets on his knees in front of you, meeting you at eye level as you sit. He rests his hands on your knees as if he would pry them open at any moment.

“No reason to get shy, gorgeous. Tell me what it is that you want?” He added in a low whisper.

His words send a spark down to your center and you can barely breathe. You’re the only thing stopping him from having his way with you. You’ve got to say something.

“I….I want you to touch me.” The words fall from your lips softly as a mischievous smirk spreads across his face.

He unbuttons your blouse and slides his hands under your thin bralette. Your nipples instantly get hard at his touch. His grip on your breast was tight but his touch was gentle. He started massaging them, taking your nipple in between his pointer finger and thumb. He was fascinated by the faces you made as he played with your tits; so much that he hasn’t taken his eyes off of you.

He stops fondling your breasts and stands up. You pout at him, wanting him to continue. He flashes you a soft smile and says, “Sit on your desk.”

You stand up and sit on your desk. You open your legs slightly as you stare at Kento with lust in your eyes. He stands between your legs, placing his hand on your jawline. He kisses you softly at first, showing some restraint. You graze your hand over the bulge in his pants causing him to moan in your mouth. He pulls you closer which deepens your kiss.

He pried your legs open with one hand and hiked up your skirt with the other. He pulls your panties to the side, revealing just how turned on you are. He pulls away from your kiss, to admire you. You can’t help but to squirm as he stares at your most sensitive part. He runs his pointer finger through your wet folds, sending a shiver down your spine.

“You’re so wet, Y/N. I haven’t even touched you properly yet.” He brings that same finger to his mouth, covering it in his saliva.

He made sure to keep direct eye contact when he bent down and took your pussy in his mouth. He immediately added his fingers. You hum in delight, feeling his thick fingers pump in and out of you while he lapped up your juices. Your plump thighs caressed his face as he devoured you whole. It took everything for you to not scream his name. Using both your hands, you covered your mouth to stop your moans from being heard. You were already coming undone on his face. Feeling your walls clench around his fingers made him eager to fuck you. He wanted to show some restraint, thinking that’s what a gentleman should do. However, his dick was throbbing through his pants when he heard your muffled whimpers as you came in his face. You pull him close, placing your mouth by his ear and say, “I want the real thing, unbuckle your belt.”

Nanami pauses looking at you with his signature straight face. He seriously didn’t want to get you in trouble. However, he would be stupid to turn you down considering that he’s been wanting this for weeks. He slowly pulls his fingers out of you and unbuckles his belt. His pants fall to the floor, pooling around his ankles. He slides his underwear down to reveal his veiny member, oozing precum. You were drooling at the sight of it, you couldn’t help but to stare. Nanami has you lay your back on the desk, placing your weight on your elbows.

“I want to see that gorgeous face.” He groans as he’s in between your legs, gently rubbing the tip of his dick through your folds. “You can’t be loud, sweetheart. Promise me you’ll keep it down?” He whispers.

You nod your head yes and lift your legs up to your chest. He slowly pushes his girthy shaft into your tight hole. Your eyes immediately meeting the back of your skull. You squirm under him as you adjust to his size. His face was burning seeing you like this, being so close to you, and feeling your heat wrapped around him.

“Ahh, just like that.” He whispers while looking down at you. He begins thrusting into you, only going deeper with each thrust. While this was a quiet sex position, it was one that pushed you straight into euphoria. Your fingers clung to the edge of the desk as he drilled into you carefully, wanting to avoid the sound of your ass clapping. The moans that we’re falling out of your mouth grew louder the closer he got to your g spot.

His hand flies over your mouth as he whispers, “You want everyone to hear you getting fucked in your office?” You quickly nod your head no as he continues burying his cock in you.

He sucks in a breath and lets out a,“That’s my girl. I’m so close already, baby. You’re doing such a good job.” You hook your stocking covered legs upon his shoulders. He nuzzles face to your calf, leaving small kisses on your legs as he continues to snap his hips forward.

Every praise that left his mouth brought you closer to your orgasm. He started whispering sweet nothings to you, making the knot in your stomach grow more intense.

“Oh god, I’m cumming.” You say in a high pitched voice as you dig your nails into your desk, chipping the paint.

“Ugh, yea. I’m gonna fill you up, Y/N. I’ll take care of you. It’s too good. You’re so good.” He groans lightly, his hips moving at an alarming rate.

Your breathing quickens as your muscles start to tighten around him. He winces and groans as he feels your walls pulsating around him. The sight and feeling of you coming undone made him cover your walls with thick coats of his cum. You were startled by the amount of cum he’s pumping into you but you wanted every drop. He leans forward to kiss you, muting the soft moans that we’re falling out of both your mouths. You both ride out your orgasms, making out with each other.

“I'm so sorry, Ms. Y/N. I couldn’t help myself.” He says as he pulls away from the kiss, staring into your eyes lovingly. He pulls out of you and grabs the tissue box on the bookshelf for you.

“Don’t apologize. I definitely started it.” You laugh while wiping your inner thighs.

He pulls his pants up, tucking in his shirt before buttoning his pants. You fix your panties and stand up in front of him. He helps you fix your clothes, making sure you looked just as perfect as you did before he fucked you.

“I should probably get out of here and let you work, huh?” He says buttoning up your shirt.

“Yea, I should do my job…I guess.” You say looking up at him.

He kisses your forehead and walks over to grab his bag off the hook.

“Y/N, would you want to get lunch together? As a date?” He asks directly.

You get goosebumps from his words.

“Yes, I’d love to.” You say with a smile.

“Great,” he grabs a business card from your desk and says, “I’ll text you.”

I loved writing this mini series!! Nanami, the man you are 😩 I hope you guys liked it! Shoutout to the Nanami divas❤️

Part one

Masterlist

Please don’t steal or alter my writings ©️

[kalinara]

(X-Men #24)

So this was always a really interesting scene to me. It's the last X-Men during the Krakoa era before everything goes to Hell. And honestly, I like this much better than their disagreement about the Brood.

(Surprise, I like the disagreement where my favorite is at least partially right versus the one where he's blatantly wrong.)

Tangentially, I really like the mention that Scott was directly involved in the creation of the Treehouse. I've mentioned it before, but there's this kind of never-directly-addressed thread of Scott just like building bases out of things. The Treehouse, the Summer House on the Moon, Utopia out of Asteroid M, the hideout in Weapons X, the refurbished Sentinel Facility that they're using now, arguably even the spaceship that Jean mentions him giving her in Phoenix.

Maybe that's the career that Scott should be looking into outside of the X-Men: architect. Or Interior Designer. I bet he'd be great, as long as you don't mind that your porches and balconies are also the most efficient height to be used as security turrets.

But anyway, there's a lot to think about here.

a) I think it's fascinating to see how differently Scott and Jean see Arakko. For her, it's an achievement to be proud of. For him, it's a mistake and a weapon for their adversaries.

But it's particularly interesting that the creation of Arakko happened during the first Hellfire Gala. We're leading into the third. I don't think that the Galas are happening in real time, and certainly in a few years, the rolling timeline won't allow them to be. But it's fascinating that for however long the span between Galas was, this is the first time Scott has ever actually talked about it.

Scott hasn't hesitated to be critical of Krakoan policies in the past. But he's kept his mouth shut and just...never went there. And that's a little mind-boggling in its own right when you think about it.

Scott loves space. He built their home ON THE MOON. Mars has now become the nexus point for Earth's diplomatic contact with the rest of the universe. His son is there a LOT.

And we know how he feels whenever Jean does anything particularly goddess-y. So it's a really interesting character beat that Scott has never been there. Especially since Scott being there or not being there would have no effect on whether or not Arakko can be used against them. You'd think he'd rather set up some strategic advantages in case the worst happens.

But then, it's interesting to think about how, as Krakoa continues onward, and the issues become more and more obvious, Scott's detached from all of it. The X-Men are based in New York. Not an island somewhere. Well. I mean, New York IS an island. But you know what I mean.

And I'm reminded of Scott's letter in Fall of House of X, where he reinforces that he IS an American citizen as well as a mutant. And how when it comes time to start the X-Men again after the fall, he bases them in his birthplace.

(Well, some of the events were unprecedented. But they didn't need to resettle the Sentinel Factory. They could have gone literally anywhere else as long as Illyana's still willing to teleport them.)

Scott responds to Krakoa by becoming more entrenched with humanity and Earth, and that's interesting.

b) Jean's side is interesting too. Because on one hand, Jean's articulating the more compassionate and emotional side. Love will find a way.

But at the same time, Jean's the one reinforcing the idea that they're different from humanity. She's the one saying that they've tried pretending to be the same as "them" for their entire lives and gotten nowhere.

And it's particularly interesting that she's articulating this idea while dealing with her perpetual rejection of her Phoenix side (something we won't see resolved until Krakoa's fall.)

To Jean, Arakko is an achievement, and she's understandably hurt that her husband doesn't seem inclined to share in that. (And we know he's not the kind of man who refuses to share in his wife's accomplishments.) But it's interesting that we've never seen JEAN on Arakko either. I assume she's been there since the creation, or she wouldn't be calling him out for never seeing it. But it's not a place that she seems to vibe with.

Though who knows what would have happened when they retired from the X-Men... Maybe they'd have settled in Magneto's old digs.

It would have been really interesting to see Scott and Jean dealing with the particular culture of Arakko. Jean, at least, has the requisite power level to be taken seriously. But her mindset is very different. She'd be respectful of course, but there's no real way that she'd be comfortable there.

And then there's Cyclops. Because he's definitely not an omega mutant as Krakoa defines it - he's a very decorative gun, basically. And he's no more an Arakkan in ideology than Jean is. But, rather like Storm, he's got the ability to assert himself and a morality that's more conventional than the people around him and get results. Though maybe it'd be a challenge better suited to Utopia-era Scott than Krakoa-era.

Missed opportunities maybe.

c) I kind of love how this issue leaves it open what Scott will decide. Of course, the beginning of the Hellfire Gala issue shows us that they apparently continued their conversation and Scott has agreed with her to leave the X-Men. There's no suspense about that decision.

I wonder if it would have worked. I'm guessing not for long, for either of them.

[gomzdrawfr]

Things I've said (out loud and in my head) when I'm wearing dem fuckass contact lenses:

GET IT IN!!!! WHY WON'T YOU GO IN?! STOP SLIPPING OUT!!! MTF STOP BENDING!!! GO IN!!!

oh my god why do you keep sticking to my finger

oh oh it's IN *blinks* *it slips out* FUCKKKKKKK

*eyes tearing up and my eyelid hurts* look at you, pathetic

*angry deep breath and then calm*

*watch another video tutorial, from youtube then xhs back to youtube* what do you mean you can show all your whites my eyes aren't 20% your size

*another deep breath* okay it's literally a piece of jelly thing it's not spikes it's not even going to explode why are you panicking? why are you running? JUST DO IT. PUT IT IN. LET IT IN.

think about Price and Ghost kissing think about Price and Ghost kissing think about Price and Ghost kissing think about Price and Ghost kissing think about Price and Ghost kissing think about Price and Ghost kissing think about Price and Ghost kissing—*slips in* OH MY GOD IT WORKED

*stares at the mirror in amazement while smiling like an idiot*

*immediately dread at the second eye* oh my god here we fucking go again why oh my days

*realize I can't pull the other eyelid up as much as the first eye* oh my fucking- is this really it-

*deep breath again* *stares dead ahead in the mirror* imagine Price beside me right now he's going to be extremely disappointed if I can't even do something as simple as putting a flimsy piece of lens into my eyes

*slips in* LETS GO woah this is weir-AAAAAAAAAAAAA it burns IT BURNS WHY DOES IT BURN SHOULD I TAKE IT OUT *rapid blinking* no wait hold on woah the mirror is clear wait i can read the barcode of my toothpaste WOAH

*stares at the mirror for god knows how long* are my eyes bigger?

*goes out while wearing them* everything is clear *blinks* okay everything is not clear *blinks* okay it's clear again why does this feel like im going 1080p to 720p with a shitty wifi?

I can feel them. Don't think about it don't think about it don't think about it don't think about it don't think about it

The very ends of both my eyes are blurry, should I be concerned

I feel very naked (never realized how much I rely on my glasses to cover areas around my eyes)

*does the push glasses up thing forgetting I'm not wearing my glasses* I'm a clown

*stares at reflection* oh shit- that is me? oh woah that is me

Is it obvious I'm wearing them? why is everyone staring at me- did it moved? did the lens move and now I look like an idiot? (proceeds to overthink and be self-conscious, the lens did not move at all)

*reads up more info about contact lenses and realize I didn't soak them in some liquid for 4 hours before wearing them* *starts thinking about the eye doctor again*

I am fine. This is fine. Look at me I look okay I look normal. I'm totally normal.

*looks at something far* woah I can read that! (could do the same thing with my specs but for some reason is fascinated)

friend: "do you feel dryness or itchiness yet?" me: yet? you mean it's gonna happen??? (it has not happen)

*reads up more about contact lenses stuff and getting confused at the amount of liquids brand out there*

*goes home and stare at the mirror again*

Overall 6/10 experience, I would try to wear them again (for now)

Things I've said (out loud and in my head) when I'm trying to take out dem fuckass contact lenses:

oh my god I can't take it out

*watch another 4-8 tutorial videos again*

what do you mean I need to touch it and pinch it out. What- WHAT I NEED TO PINCH IT??? I'M NOT TOUCHING MY EYE LIKE THAT-

what do you mean you can blink it out.

*tries to blink it out and it didnt work and feel like my eyeballs are about to fall out*

*felt like crying but force myself not to because Idk if you should do that when you're wearing lenses*

*tries another 3-4 times and failing*

*sits down on the toilet tile and think about which eye doctor I need to contact and which hospital I can go by train, reciting the emergency number a few times*

*opens socmed to distract myself*

no no fuck you you're overthinking again calm da fak down it's A PIECE. OF. JELLY THINGY.

get up. do the thing. do it scared.

*silently screaming as my index finger slowly reaches for my eyes* I CANT DO THIS

BUT I'M GONNA *touches eye* OH MY DAYS I HATE IT *force myself to slowly slide the contact lens even if it feels extremely uncomfortable*

*starts singing the national anthem FOR SOME REASON* TANAH TUMPAHNYA DARAHHHH KUUUU *finally slide it to the sclera and blinks it out*

*panting like I've ran a thousand miles staring at the folded lens* fuck yoUUUUUUUU *puts it away and looks at the mirror*

oh my god my eye is red, is that normal? should I be concerned? *checks eye*

*stares at the mirror dreading the second eye*

*repeat cycle above with just as much anxiety and stress*

*singing the national anthem did not work this time* *starts thinking about which eye doctor to see again*

*deep breath* listen. if you can take off this last piece. we can...w-we can have pudding, okay? (we don't have pudding, also there's no we it's only me)

*slowly reach for my eyes* *silently screaming*

*realize it doesn't feel as uncomfortable with the other eyes* oh *slowly sliding it to the side then blinks it out*

*it immediately falls to the ground* YEAH you stay down

*looks at mirror* okay this eye isn't red

ah fuck everything's 360p again where's my specs?

Overall 0/10 experience I'm not wearing them again (I still have one more set, I will in fact, wear them again)

[gor3-hound]

sneaking out of heaven

ft. leon kennedy x fem!reader

part one, part two

cw: 18+ content, religious guilt, sexually repressed reader, allusions to abusive parents

a/n: i'm soooo nervous about this one lmao... will be smut eventually, but part of is kinda just... setting things up, yay!! not really sure how to tag this part either, so sorry if i missed anything :// title from the waterparks song of the same name <3

word count: 1.3k words

Growing up in the church offered you the only sliver of normalcy in your childhood. Your father, the pastor, was a strict man. He'd always made his expectations of you clear, and you were not one to go against his teachings. After all, his words were the extension of the words of God, as he had made abundantly clear.

You'd never been to a public school, and living in such a small town meant you were not subjected to things that most young girls were. Your father favoured it. This way, he could ensure his daughter stayed free of temptation. That she would be safe under his watchful eye, and never stray from the teachings of God.

Still, in the Church, you felt at home. In God's eyes, all men were created equal. You felt like you had some semblance of free will, less trapped under your father's thumb. As long as you devoted your life to God, you would be safe. He would provide for you, and you'd be able to leave this town.

This did not mean you did not miss the things that most teenagers got to experience. Fiddling around with the computer your dad allowed you for home-schooling purposes and finding incognito mode was something that instantly fed into your curiosity. Your dad couldn't monitor what you were doing, and it made you feel more comfortable to explore.

You never ventured too far, of course. It was as though you felt God Himself would strike you down if you looked at something you shouldn't. No, all you did was watch teen dramas with your volume muted late at night when you knew your father was asleep. You read the subtitles as you watched, fascinated by the idea of partying and going out. Having fun. Being free.

You couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to speak with someone your own age. This town was filled with old folks, and those who had kids all seemed to decide to have them a good ten or so years before or after you were born, so you were left being the only teenager there.

As you got older, the need to spread your wings and leave the nest only grew. Your father got stricter, roped you into more church duties. Anything to keep your curious mind wandering too much.

That was until the Kennedys moved into town.

Along with them came a boy, only a few years older than you. You could feel the tension in your father's body as you stood next to him while greeting them after they attended their first Sunday Mass there.

Their son, Leon, stood behind them looking incredibly uninterested. It was as if your father could sense what the boy would do to your mind, how he'd plague your thoughts late and night when you were all alone. You shook his hand that day, and that contact alone was enough to cause your downfall.

As you lay in bed that night, you felt the devil claw his way into the corner of your mind. He made his home there, filling you with thoughts that left you weak to temptation. As wetness pooled in the gusset of your panties remembering how Leon's hand felt in yours, you sobbed.

You prayed for God's forgiveness when the thoughts subsided. Apologised profusely for even thinking about touching yourself. The next morning, your shower took twice as long. You pretended it was the heat of the summer, but you knew it was your attempt at washing the dirty thoughts from your mind.

Every Sunday, Leon was begrudgingly dragged to church by his parents. And every Sunday, you fall further and further into sin. Until one day, you can't find Leon as you gaze into the pews.

It bothers you more than it should. You should be relieved. If he had convinced his parents to allow him to avoid church, you'd be rid of your temptation. God had heard your prayers, and he had offered you a solution.

You were not so lucky.

As you leave the church, Leon is propped outside against one of the walls. He's smoking, his lips the picture of sin as they wrap around the cigarette while he takes a drag.

His gaze flicks to you, and he tosses it to the floor, stopping it out with the toe of his boot. He grabs your arm, dragging you to the side of your church despite your protests.

“I've seen you watching me.” He says bluntly, but your brain can only focus on the sound of his voice and the way his hand feels as it lingers on your arm. You blink a few times, taking longer than usual to register his words.

“I-I haven't…”

“You have been, though.” He says harshly, brows furrowing like he's ready for a fight. “Think you're better than me? I can feel you judging me, y'know. I didn't want to come to this shitty town. I know I'm not like you.”

Your expression twists into one of confusion. Judging him? If anything, you were the one that deserved to be judged. You shake your head quickly, your heart beating so hard it felt like it would come out of your chest.

“I wasn't… I was just… just curious, that's all.”

He narrows his eyes like he's trying to see if you're lying. After a moment of studying you, he seems pleased enough with your answer and releases your arm.

“Cool. Your dad just really laid it on to my parents. They won't get off my back. Thought he sent you to keep an eye on me or something.” He says with a shrug, his gaze trailing over you.

“I'm not my father.” The words come out more sharp than you intended, and you're instantly scolding yourself mentally for speaking in that way. You take in a deep breath, looking down at the floor before meeting his gaze once more.

“I was wondering if we could be friends?” You ask softly, your voice shaking with slight nerves. Your father would probably crucify you if he knew you were alone with a boy, and here you were trying to bargain more time with him.

“It's just… well, I've never been able to hang around someone my age before, and-”

“Never?” He interrupts, brows furrowing as he looks at you. A small frown tugs at his lips, and you want nothing more than to kiss it away.

You shake your head softly, embarrassment burning in your chest.

“Shit. Does your old man keep you locked up in the church basement or something?” He asks with a laugh that only grows louder when he sees how affronted you are by him cursing.

He's joking, but it's not so far from the truth. You've been tethered to this town since the day you were born, kept on a leash so tight you could feel your airwaves being restricted more and more with every tug made by your father.

“It's just… I've never left this town.” You say quietly, and just like that, Leon's expression softens.

“You don't seem so happy about that.” He replies. The look on your face confirms his suspicions, but you don't say anything in response.

“Hey, well… I'll tell you everything you want to know.” He says with a smile that makes you weak in the knees.

If God created everyone in His image, he must have put a little extra of Himself in Leon Kennedy. You're not entirely convinced you're not in the presence of an angel. Or perhaps a demon sent by the devil to lure you into a life of sin.

You brush the thoughts away quickly. Leon was a human, plain and simple. It didn't matter what he looked like. All men were created equal, you remind yourself. There was nothing wrong with talking to him.

“So we're friends?” You ask hopefully, extending a hand in hopes of making contact with his calloused palms once more.

“Yeah. Friends.”

[luceafarul-de-dimineata]

a noble runs into MC and the nobody devil while they’re on a date and MC introduces them to each other when confronted…

didn’t mean to annoy you by being clumsy and sending 3 asks in a row. apologies🤦

It'a fine, pussy, my imbox is empty, so there's no tragedy in giving the same request multiple times. For my sake, I'll just name the demon Marian, but you can imagine anything else instead.

Whb nobles seeing MC with another devil

Zagan

He was just going on his morning jog when he spotted you and Marian

Everyone in Gehenna knows everyone else in Gehenna, so don't be surprised that they know eachother.

Zagan would be kind of shy when getting closer to you and nod at the two of you

"Oh, hi Zagan! This is Marian, my boyfriend."

His face doesn't change much but you can tell that the realisation struck him

He shakes Marian's hand and leaves.

You should be thankful it was him that found you two and not someone more... aggressive

Astaroth

He's stuck

On one hand, this is such an amazing love story plot.

The child of Solomon, the human that could have them all settles with a nobody.

They are everything and he's just Marian

The drama, the romance, the tragedy that could spur out of something like this

He's all for it

But on the other hand, really?

You have all the kings drooling after you, all the nobles lining up to make a carpet out of their bodies so you won't have to step on dirt, and you choose... Marian?

Humans trully are fascinating creatures

He doesn't say anything when he sees the two of you, just hiding behind a corner and observing. He's really invested now, be ready to find his newly published novel about a queen falling for a layman on your nightstand

Bimet

He audibly gasps

He is revolted, he is insulted, he is disgusted

How fucking dare you

He doesn't know who that demon is, nor does he care

He would power walk between you two and look only into your eyes.

"MC, I didn't think I would find you! Who's the accessory you have with you? What's his purpose and when will he expire?"

"That's my boyfriend Marian."

"Hahaha, you're soooo funny! You're already dating Mammon. Do you really need something as... insignificant as this devil?"

You start arguing with Bimet until he just picks Marian up and takes you to the royal quert.

When Mammon gives the verdict that you can date anyone you want, Bimet's entire attitute changes.

He congratulates you for finding such a handsome devil and wishes you both ferwell.

Glasylabolas

Oh ho ho ho, now this, this is interesting

He's gonna have the time of his life with this one

First, he takes pictures of you two on the date, holding hands, hugging, any physical contact works

Then he makes his presence known

He's a lot more cheerful than usual and he eggs both of you on.

He acts like you two being together was his OTP all along, talking about how you two are just made for eachother

"Oh, but MC, why haven't you told his majesty Leviathan about your blooming relationship with this young fella? Should I do the honorifics myself?"

He doesn't wait for an answer, he just summons his coffin and teleports to Leviathan's throne room to tell him the gossip.

Seeing you and your boyfriend hanging put a smile on his face

Next time, try not to get caught

Stolas

He just shoots the guy

No warning, no anything

He doesn't want to hear your complaints

A vermin was touching the child of Solomon in a romantic manner

Avisos' one law is to not steal someone else's partner

And you're clearly dating Beelzebub, so Stolas was just enforcing the law

You had to rush your boyfriend to Paradise Lost to get treatment, but Stolas won't apologise

You have to explain to him step by step that 1. You're not dating Beelzebub and 2. You chose to date Marian because you genuinly love him

It takes him a while to process, and he still has doupts, but he'll pay for the treatment of your boyfriend

Ronové

You don't see or hear him coming, you just feel his arms snake around your neck

He congratules you for getting a boyfriend and shakes the devils hand.

He's actually very chill about the whole ordeal, but he seems weirdly fascinated about the other demon's sex life

He really doesn't want the child of Solomon to get sexually frustrated

He would offer to show him how its done, but you slapped Ronové before you could finish

He just chuckles and hands the devil a business card

Before he leaves, he whispers in your ear "if he doesn't treat you well, chop his dick off. Or better, ask me to do it."

Andrealphus

At least it's not an angel

When Andrealphus walk closer to the two of you, your date starts shaking in fear

Andrealphus just smiles and hugs you since he hasn't seen you in a while (insert blind joke here)

He smiles at your date, which doesn't help make him look less intimidating

As long as that devil doesn't pose a threat to you, he's fine with letting you date whoever you want

Your date might faint after Andrealphus leaves, but you both are glad that nobody got murdered.

Buer

He's confused and a bit offended

I mean, Lucifer is right there

It kind of reminds him of that story Lucifer once told him about his younger self. How he fell in love with a human princess but the princess chose some random dude instead of him and he got depressed.

He doesn't want that to happen again so he probably would move you and your new sweetheart to different sides of the hospital

If you try to comfront him about it he's just like "You are under my care and he's under Marbas' care, there's no reason for him to be in the same wing as you"

He wants to break you two off, but not directly. So he just hopes that the physical distance between you and your boyfriend would make the relationship deteriorate by itself.

Would probably stop only if Lucifer tells him to knock it off

[dawns-breath]

Moodboard picrew

The Archeologist (MemDei)

Profession: Archaeologist, adventurer

Background: Despite not being born here, I’ve always considered Okhema my home. I was born in the lost city of Aristia. My parents fled to Okhema to escape the Black Tide when I was about 4, so I have very few memories of it. I just remember that it was beautiful. And that we were happy.

Combat Path: Nihility

Combat type: Quantum

Weapon: Longbow and quantum energy arrows. 

I have a ring on my left hand that helps me condense and shape quantum energy into arrows. They stun their target, disappearing on impact. I have a limited amount of energy to use for arrows so I need to rest between battles. The arrows can’t be created ahead of time since I lose hold of their shape after a few minutes, and the quantum energy makes my hand tingle and go numb if I hold on to them for too long. They really need to be made during battle.

The bow is made of wood and dromas horn and quite sturdy, so I can use it for defense in a pinch. Though it won’t survive more than a few impacts.

Hobbies: I love browsing antique shops for old manuscripts! I’ve sometimes managed to find some real treasures. And… I don’t know if I should be proud of this, but I’m pretty good at haggling the price down. That’s how I originally met Phainon. He was browsing the same shop and heard me haggling, and the little busy-body told me off! We still ended up becoming friends, though.

Annoyances: I hate when areas are restricted. Yes, yes, safety of the public and all that, I know, I really do, but I need to get in there! Who knows what I might find!!

First meeting with Deimos (ie. Mydei)

“So you’re the adventurer Phainon keeps mentioning.” I’m already bristling at Deimos’ haughty tone. “Oh, that’s so fascinating, I don’t believe he’s brought you up at all! Deimos, Deimos… Nope! Can’t recall even once. Shame.” Deimos scoffs. “He shouldn’t need to, my rumor tends to precede me.” “Oh, really? ‘Cause I’ve never heard of you, either. And I have some experience with hired muscle.” He steps closer, making me instinctively back away until I’m up against a wall. A chill runs down my spine; I might have pushed just a little bit too far this time. Then Deimos gets in my face, his eyes hard. “You need me. You know no one else will go to that titan-forsaken ruin. So watch your mouth, little girl.” He shoves something into my hand, then turns on his heel and disappears back into the crowd. I look at the piece of paper with a badly scribbled number - it’s his contact information. I guess that means that he's accepted the job.

Confession

I’m trapped. Too tired to keep fighting. As the crazed Titankin closes in on me, one phrase keeps repeating in my mind. I wish Deimos was still alive. A flash of red makes me close my eyes. When I open them again, the Titankin is crumbling to dust. And behind it stands Deimos, still very much alive. His wide-eyed gaze roves over my battered body like he’s seen a ghost. “Y-you--” He stumbles forward, then sinks to his knees. I’m running towards him before I know it. He spreads his arms wide, welcoming me into his embrace.  “I thought I lost you,” he whispers against my neck. “The cave-in, I thought you got caught by the debris.” I’m laughing through tears. “And I thought I lost you to the Titankin. How did you survive? There were so many…” Deimos scoffs. “You underestimate me once again.” He pulls away to look at me, his golden eyes soft. “Insufferable woman, almost getting killed,” he mumbles, “always underestimating me, my fighting skills, my cooking. Why can’t I get enough of your antics?” "If you're talking about your vile habit of putting goat's cheese into your honey brew then--" I'm interrupted when he kisses me. "Will you stop arguing for just a moment?" he asks, eyes hazy. I don't reply, just kiss him back.

Last edited on June 10th, 2025

[meghanthedreamcrusher]

Dina Contractions Tracker: The Contracker

It's a list, of Dina, using contractions.

Cause idk, I was bored, it was something to do.

I actually made a list of her contractions back in 2015. And I said I wouldn't make another one cause she had 60 appearances back in 2015 instead of 600.

I lied.

Updated to: March 9th 2025

Book 1:

1: It's fine. 2: Th--There's a fight or something going on outside. 3: Pardon, but these notes aren't m--

Book 2:

4: Amber, oh my god, you didn't come home last night. 5: I'm not? 6: I'm going to go get some lunch. 7-10: I don't know much about people. ::: I've never been able to understand people. ::: They're fixed in time, letting me learn about them without them changing constantly before my eyes. ::: Good, so I'm not missing anything. 11-13: I hadn't ever really considered how others perceive me before. ::: But that's what's moving. 14: I didn't want to be rude. 15-17: If there's cereal, and cereal is best, why wouldn't I always choose it? ::: So I'm performing a small, harmless act that comforts me, and this makes me the strange one. 18: If it's about your large posterior, I have read that some men are predisposed towards such.

Book 3:

19: There's enough evidence for dinosaurs being related somehow to birds that it is considered scientific fact. 20: What's going on? 21: Yay, we're bonding! 22: I do, but I just thought you didn't believe in evolution. 23-25: They're subject to the same natural processes though. ::: I don't think you know how evolution works. ::: I don't think your textbooks knew how evolution works either.

Book 4:

26: I didn't appreciate the severity of his...assholeitude. 27: Amber's upset because her father was here yesterday and she punched him. 28: Oh, good, they've stopped yelling. 29: Is that why nobody points out that you're you when you wear that cape and run around campus? 30: I'm sorry. 31: We're having a sausage festival.

Book 5:

32: I think I'm finally tired of eating just cereal for every meal. 33: It's hypothesized that some dinosaurs found the extravagant spikes and plumage of the opposite sex particularly arousing. 34: I've yet to experience these inclinations myself, though they do fascinate me in a clinical sense. 35: That was... that's for emphasis. 36: Should I have said, "She wasn't kind to me"? 37-38: They're touching each other on the arm. ::: Maybe it's second. 39: Now that the weekend's over, does that mean she goes back home tonight? 40: You're blocking the only sausage pizza. 41: I think the only way to get "Butthole Dad" to go away is for Joyce to convince him that you aren't here. 42-47: I didn't overhear much. ::: When I said you were my favorite, I'm sorry, but that wasn't true. ::: In short, I won't attempt to court you, and I hope you're okay with being only my second favorite. ::: You mean "You're weird." 48-49: If anyone sees those, the dorm will realize what's up. ::: Sarah, you're the most evil of us.

Book 6:

50: Patreon exclusive! 51: That's a boring answer. 52: You said the smiles weren't coming back.

Book 7:

53: Colloquially this could be considered a "bug" but properly it's an arachnid. 54: Because I find eye contact painfully awkward, it's easy to notice when your eyes do not meet mine in return. 55: Becky, you should have just asked me plainly if that's what you wanted.

Book 8:

56: She's not given up on you. 57: Patreon exclusive!

Book 9:

58: Oh, it's you.

Book 10:

59: I'd slash at you here, or here.

Book 11:

60: This is Cap'n Crunch and Reese's Puffs. (Yes I'm counting "Cap'n" as a contraction, sue me!) 61-63: Becky believes in a more benevolent version of her god who's not specifically bigoted in that way. ::: Yes, it's the most I've ever had in common with a fictional character. 64: Patreon exclusive!

Book 12:

65: For example, I'd try to discover what triggered this rise in body temperature. 66: You said sometimes you say you don't want to talk about things when you actually do want to talk about things. 67-68: We don't have to do this. ::: If we're going to test me for sexual attraction properly... we need to establish a baseline for what sexual attraction is. 69: Didn't you want me to want to see you naked? 70: ...I'll put this down as a maybe. 71: But if you didn't...

Book 13:

72: You're troubled.

Book 14:

73-76: My nose 's stuffy. An' there's too many people in my room. M'hiding.

Book 15:

77: ...How'd we end up in this bank vault? 78: ...Don't make subtext text. 79: I am proving, with a wardrobe alteration, that we shouldn't fear a hypothetical shift in sexual preference.

[deadlymistletoe]

Concerning Hobbits

Pairing: Fili x hobbit f!reader

Request: Anonymous asked: Could I request a Fili fic where the reader is a hobbit and really close friends with Bilbo so he has brought them with him to Erebor several times and between their last visit and their current visit Fili has been exchanging letters with Bilbo to learn about Hobbit courting etiquette so he can ask the reader out?

A/N:I hope you enjoy it! I'm honoured you trusted me with this request, especially since I haven't written for Fili before.

Genre: Fluff/romance

Description: Fili enlists the help of Bilbo to learn about hobbit courting customs in order to ask you out in the best way possible.

Warnings: None

Word count: 1471

You’d always been close to Bilbo, he was like a brother to you, so it was only natural that you thoroughly questioned him when he came back months after disappearing so suddenly.

His tale fascinated you, more than it should fascinate a respectable hobbit. You asked questions, about the elves, about the mountain, about Smaug, but most of all, about his 13 companions, the dwarves.

You’d never met anyone who wasn’t a hobbit, but ever since you were young you’d had a fascination with the race of dwarves, reading books about them, begging your parents to bring you back hand-crafted items the dwarves in Bree were selling.

So yes, it was only expected that you would be most interested in Bilbo’s companions - how you wished you’d been able to meet them. But most particularly, you were fascinated by the Durin’s, especially the golden-haired prince who’s good nature and humour Bilbo would fondly talk about.

Therefore, when Bilbo casually mentioned returning to Erebor to visit his friends you immediately begged to go with him. Knowing how much it would mean to you, particularly with your birthday coming up as you so kindly reminded him, he agreed, and one letter to the dwarf king later the two of you were on the road.

To everyone’s (or no-one’s) surprise, you and Fili hit it off immediately. The golden-haired prince had taken an instant liking to you and you to him.

The second visit was much the same, except the relationship between the two of you only grew stronger as you grew closer and closer to the line between friends and something more.

Both of you were beginning to feel things for each other that went beyond friendship, but neither of you said anything as you left with Bilbo once more, this time with a promise to write.

Neither of you noticed the knowing glance Thorin and Bilbo had shared, and after you left, Fili had been subjected to endless teasing from his brother until Tauriel of all people had taken pity on the heir and reminded Kili that he was just as smitten, if not more.

In the weeks after the trip, you and Fili had sent letter after letter to each other, and when Bilbo mentioned taking you on another visit you’d instantly agreed, the blond still vivid in your mind.

What Bilbo didn’t tell you, was that you weren’t the only one who had been in regular contact with Fili. Ever since he had returned to Bag End his mailbox had been full of letters from Fili asking all kinds of questions about hobbits and their courting customs.

It was bad enough reading and answering the incredibly long letters that seemed to revolve around you, but he also had to hide them from you - something that was quite difficult since you’d often bring in his mail for him when you came over for breakfast, forcing him to wake up even earlier to snatch any letters Fili should send before you came over.

In the end, he had sent a thick book regarding hobbits and their customs which had seemed to satisfy the dwarf for the foreseeable future.

Now, he was finally taking you to Erebor again, and you were beyond excited. Little did you know, but Fili, upon hearing of your visit, had been a flustered mess, his usually calm demeanour seemingly gone as he scoured the text in the book over and over as he scurried to make sure that everything was perfect as he anticipated your arrival.

No one commented when your greeting with Fili was far from ‘formal’, his arms winding around your waist as he lifted you from the ground and spun you around, your laugh ringing through the air, your curls bouncing when he set you down.

It wasn’t until later that Fili asked you if he could show you something and the two of you excused yourselves from the company.

You completely missed Kili’s encouraging wink and thumbs up to his brother from behind your back.

Fili didn’t tell you where he was leading you as he led you through halls you’d never seen before. You were about to ask when he pulled open a door, gesturing for you to step through and you stepped into perhaps the most beautiful part of Erebor you’d seen.

It was a terrace, or courtyard of sorts, jutting out from the mountain and looking over Dale, but it wasn’t the view that amazed you most.

The terrace was more like a garden, with grass instead of stone and all sorts of brightly coloured flowers blooming in various places - some you recognised, some you didn’t.

You turned to Fili, a bright smile adorning your face. “This is amazing. Has this always been here?”

He shifted, looking slightly embarrassed. “Sort of. It was awful when I first found it. I’ve been fixing it up since your last visit. I thought you’d like it.”

“I love it!” You assured him, walking further out, relishing the feeling of glass tickling your feet again as you headed towards the only non-plant in the place; a yellow picnic rug set out with your favourite foods.

Fili followed you to the rug, watching you sit down and look admiringly at the food.

“Did you make this too?” You asked, half joking.

To your surprise he didn’t object. “Bombour helped. I hope it’s alright.”

You stared at him for a moment. Did he realise that in The Shire something like this would be seen as an intention to court? Or was he just being friendly? You smiled. “I’m sure it will be.”

As you ate, you couldn’t help but notice that Fili was acting a bit strangely. Yes, he would laugh and smile, but he fidgeted when he thought you weren’t looking and only picked at the food.

You set your plate aside. “Is there a reason for all this? Or am I just that good a friend?”

“No. I mean yes. I mean…” He sighed, seemingly building up his courage before he faced you. “Maybe this will tell you what I mean.

He reached behind him to pick up a bouquet which he then held out to you.

You accepted the bundle of carefully picked flowers, a few immediately sticking out to you. Red roses, both white and pink camellias, red carnations, orchids and tulips.

Clearly, in the eyes of a hobbit, a declaration of love and adoration.

You glanced up at the blond, who was watching you with a hopeful expression. “You know, in The Shire, this sort of thing would be considered a clear intention to court. A declaration of love, even.”

“And what would you say if that’s exactly what it is?”

You smiled, leaning across to place a quick kiss to his lips before leaning back, watching the expression of surprise and happiness cross Fili’s face. “I’d say I accept and the feelings are returned.”

He smiled, leaning closer to brush a stay piece of hair behind your slightly pointed ear, letting his fingers linger. “That’s good, because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do this.”

He kissed you again, this time lingering longer, the remaining food all but forgotten as your grip on the bouquet loosened and you leaned into the kiss.

You’d be lying to say that you’d never thought about what the Prince’s lips would feel like against yours, how his beard would brush against your skin, and it was safe to say that this surpassed even your wildest dreams.

Fili pulled away, blue eyes shining. “Maybe later I can show you our courting customs.”

“I’d like that.” You murmured. “How did you know all this stuff?” You asked, glancing down to admire the bundle of flowers in your hands again.

“I asked Bilbo.” Fili admitted. “And he sent me a book.”

“What book?” You questioned with a smile. You found it adorable that he’d put in so much effort for you.

He grinned back. “Concerning Hobbits.”

~

Bilbo wasn’t surprised when you nervously pulled him aside the day before you were to leave, glancing anxiously at Fili over the other hobbit’s shoulder, who nodded encouragingly. He’d already talked to his uncle, who had agreed that you should be the one to talk to Bilbo.

“Bilbo?” You began, “Bilbo, I’m not ready to go home. I want to stay here…with Fili…” At his silence you rushed on. “I don’t want to upset you, and I’ll miss you but-”

Your long time friend wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a tight hug. “I understand. You don’t need to explain yourself.” He pulled back, smiling at you. “I’m happy for you.”

So with a promise to visit again soon and one last hug, Bilbo left Erebor, and you remained behind, Fili’s warm hand around yours as you returned his radiant smile.

Everything Taglist

@fizzyxcustard

Tolkien Taglist

@bookworm-with-coffee

If you wish to join my taglist to be notified when I post new fics, click here. For my Tolkien Masterlist, click here. For my Main Masterlist, click here.

[100frogsinatrenchcoat]

Part FOUR to my isat fic that I still need to. Actually name.

Part one is here, previous part is here, part 5 here

POV ODILE

When Isabeau ran breathlessly up to you, Mirabelle, and Boniface, your first instinct was that something very very bad had happened.

So, you were relieved to be informed it wasn’t that something horrific had happened, simply something exceptionally weird. Isabeau hadn’t managed to explain much in his panicked ramblings, but you had managed to gather that Loop had somehow transformed to look like Siffrin?

That knowledge didn’t prepare you for the reality of actually seeing the two Siffrins. Firstly, because Siffrin— your Siffrin, Siffrin proper— had apparently fallen asleep, and you did have a brief moment of panic seeing them passed out like that before seeing the rise and fall of his chest indicating that he was, in fact, breathing. Secondly, it was…extremely uncanny. There were differences, certainly. Loop had no cloak, and no dye in their fair. But beyond that? They were indistinguishable. Seeing them curled up together you could almost convince yourself that they were one singular creature.

Very, very uncanny.

You shook yourself out of your stupor when Mirabelle squeaked “Oh!! They both look so sick…”

They did look sick. Siffrin was pale, yet their face was flushed dark with fever. They were sweating, but trembling slightly as though they were cold. It was hard to see Loops face, curled up as they were, but they were shaking as bad as Siffrin, and their skin looked pale and clammy.

“Right.” You turn to Isabeau, “We should get both of them back to the clocktower. You’ll carry Siffrin?”

“On it, M’dame! But uh… I think someone will need to move Loop first, and I don’t think they want me to touch them…”

“Right. I’ll do it, Mirabelle should save her energy for healing.”

“Right!!”

You sigh. Siffrin — and therefore Loop — is quite small, but your back still won’t be happy with you for carrying them all the way to the clocktower. The things you do for these people.

You take a deep breath to calm your nerves. If you start looking hesitant, it will just put everyone else on edge. You slowly walk up to where Siffrin and Loop are curled up, and Isabeau follows closely behind you. Mirabelle stays a bit further back, holding Boniface’s hand, even as they try to drag her forward for a closer look at “Frin two”.

As you approach, you realize that Loop isn’t asleep like Siffrin is. Their eyes are glazed over, and they look so, so tired. But they aren’t asleep.

“Loop.” You kneel down next to them, leaning forward to make eye contact. “We’re going to bring you and Siffrin back to the clocktower.”

They don’t respond, but their gaze looks a bit more clear as they return your eye contact. Well. One eye looks clearer. The other looks…cloudy, you realize. Blind. It’s on the same side as Siffrins missing eye. Fascinating.

“I understand you may not like to be touched. Are you able to walk?”

Still silence.

“Alright then. I’m going to have to carry you back to the clocktower.”

You pick them up, and other than a slight flinch, they don’t respond. You feel a slight pop in your knees as Isabeau helps you stand. Gems, you’re too old for this. You’re both grateful and slightly concerned by how light Loop is.

Siffrin starts to stir as Loop is lifted away from them, but Isabeau is quick to reassure them that Loop is fine, and only seconds after Isabeau lifts them up, Siffrin falls back into unconsciousness.

You walk back in tense silence, interrupted only by Boniface’s “whispered” questions

How can there be two Frins?

You don’t know.

Why’s Loop not got a cloak like Frin?

You do not know.

Is Loop actually Frins secret evil twin? Or a Frin from another world?

You are compelled to tell Boniface that sadly, you still do not know.

Gems, Loop is absolutely burning up. It’s no wonder they didn’t respond to you, it’s unlikely they can think much at all with this fever.

Craft sickness? When would Loop have used that much craft? Or is it simply stress? Or some other thing that only happens to stars? Some combination of multiple factors? You aren’t sure,

You realize as you lay them down in a bed in the clocktower, that at some point in your walk, Loop had started silently crying.

You hadn’t even noticed.

[electronickingdomfox]

"Doctor's Orders" review

Novel from 1990, by Diane Duane. The story is built upon an unusual “what if”: what if McCoy was placed in command of the Enterprise? But this is also a story about a first contact with three alien species. Duane excels at coming up with imaginative creatures that feel truly alien, not just in their appearance, but also in their worldviews, while being endearing at the same time. And the three races: the Ornae, the Lahit and the ;At (however their name is pronounced) are all very different and fascinating on their own. There’s also extra care in describing the process of such a first contact, like showing how the Universal Translator needs to be adapted before communication is possible, unlike other examples where the characters start talking with new creatures just like that.

The first half of the book revolves around the difficulties of understanding these aliens, as well as the mistery of Kirk’s disappearance (a situation that leaves McCoy in command for far longer than expected). While the second half, once Kirk’s fate is revealed, sacrifices intrigue in favor of ship battles in space, as McCoy gets a hell of a lot on his plate. Though there are also some quieter scenes and philosophical conversations in-between. The story is short (or feels short), in the spirit of one of the series’ episodes, and the dialogue is witty and often funny.

Even moreso than Kirk, McCoy gets the spotlight in this one, as expected. And he deals with his new duties as ship’s Captain surprisingly well. Probably better than he should, in fact. Duane tends to idealize the characters more than they ever were in the series, which is most notable in Kirk’s case. Though there are also many scenes that show McCoy’s inner turmoil and anxiety, when he feels the burden of command during a situation that is quickly deteriorating. Humor, however, is present throughout the whole story. And the way McCoy deals with the Klingons (or rather, bullies them) is particularly funny. There are several novels where the enemies (Romulans, or Klingons in this case) end up being quite fascinated and charmed by this “MakKhoi”. Spock, on the other hand, only gets a supportive, secondary role. So don’t be misled by the book’s cover.

On the critical side, perhaps the most unrealistic bit is the way McCoy ends up in command of the starship. Despite the justifications given by the novel, I don’t see any way in which McCoy could ever take the conn, short of the whole crew being dead at the time. As medical officer, he should be outside the chain of command, so giving him the conn is almost like giving it to a civilian. The reasons for Spock not being able to relieve the doctor sound also all too convenient. Apart from the dubious legality of Kirk’s maneuver, there’s the question of his personal motivation for doing so. If he was so concerned about McCoy being overworked in the Medicine department, it seems irresponsible of Kirk to further burden the doctor with a new, stressful and potentially dangerous job. No matter how much Kirk wanted to teach McCoy a lesson, or be free to prance down on the planet himself. But I guess if you want a story about McCoy commanding the Enterprise, you need some suspension of disbelief. So you gotta take it, or leave it.

Spirk Meter: 4/10. There’s a mention of Kirk and Spock’s permanent mind-link. And even if it’s just a brief moment, they make it sound as Spock’s dirty, embarrassing secret, therefore the high rating:

“McCoy looked thoughtful. Now how do I phrase this so as not to bother him?"Spock," he said, lowering his voice, "you occasionally have a knack for, uh, feeling what's going on with Jim, at a distance. You haven't had any 'bad feelings,' have you?"

Spock was silent for a moment. Uh-oh, McCoy thought. But then Spock said, very quietly, "Doctor, I have not. I can frequently 'hear,' from humans, what is best expressed as a sort of mental white noise. I cannot detect the Captain's.”

On the other hand, despite this being a McCoy-centric novel, there’s a notorious lack of McKirk or Spones. Just an instance where McCoy feels so relieved of seeing Spock back in the bridge, that he’s tempted to hug him.

[no-psi-nan]

Actually Terusai has kind of a fascinating element of psychological horror that I don't think most people notice.

Think about it. In a world where psychic powers are real and can be strong enough to destroy the planet, a girl is born who has two special abilities:

(Nearly) every guy immediately falls in love with her, and

The world in general bends over backwards to her will, affecting probability, the weather, and even the physics of falling droplets.

In the face of this, even Saiki's godly set of abilities are barely enough to counter her second power. And despite how much trouble Teruhashi puts him in and will continue to put him in, and despite Teruhashi's completely superficial crush on him, Saiki feels himself starting to fall in love with her too.

Is it true love? Is it Teruhashi's power eventually working its way through his natural defenses? Is it the will of God/the mangaka forcing him to be together with Teruhashi for some reason, possibly just because she wants it, or to appease an audience he knows exists out there somewhere?

How long can Saiki fight against Teruhashi's powers and God's will? How can he ever know whether his feelings are genuine?

The only way to know 100% for sure would be if Teruhashi loses interest in him and he then finds that he's also lost interest in her. Or potentially if he significantly powers up somehow and then finds that his feelings for Teruhashi aren't as strong any more.

The same problem still applies to any Teruhashi ship, of course, except that none of them would know that their feelings could potentially have been forced onto them by supernatural power, and so would live and love in ignorant bliss. 🤔 It might be possible for wlw ships to dodge this issue, except that Aiura and Imu's strong reactions to Teruhashi at first sight imply that Teruhashi's first power extends to anyone attracted to women (which would also explain Hairo's disinterest).

And if Teruhashi herself should ever realize that she was born with these powers and that her hard work isn't the source of them (as proven by the fact that she had them as a baby and also in all apocalyptic scenarios and she's gone evil, she still is loved and worshipped), she would have SUCH a breakdown, rip...

What a way to shatter a worldview! And how could she trust that ANYONE'S feelings towards her could be legitimate if she knows she has a magic power that forces the issue?? Maybe that's what tips her over the edge into cult leader in some of those AUs tbh!

You could hypothetically argue that Aiura's soulmate readings also exert control, except that Aiura's powers are only good for getting information, she's never shown any ability to affect reality. And it seems that soulmates don't necessarily always end up together for whatever reason (like geography/being in completely different areas of the world), so if Saiki wanted to ignore that prediction, there really wouldn't be anything stopping him.

He clearly didn't fall in love with Aiura at first sight (nor she with him) and no circumstances have ever evolved to force him into close contact with Aiura. Even the time Imu shoved Saiki and Aiura into the closet was in Teruhashi's favor because hearing her admit she liked Saiki was enough to prevent Saiki from carrying on his plan with Aiura. 🤷🏾

So any feelings that develop between Aiura and Saiki would be undoubtedly natural. But any feelings Saiki develops for Teruhashi would be perpetually under question...

[acupofcoffee-asia]

Taroko National Park/ Part Two

After retracing the Shakadang trail, heading towards the bus stop, we immediately realized something was wrong: the bus scheduled according to the timetable didn’t seem to be arriving. While we were waiting, we met a French family in the same situation, who asked us for some tips. The little I could do was try to act as a translator between them and Yun Xia, who, being familiar with the area, was the only one who could help us in some way. After a while, we lost sight of the family, but the bus still hadn’t arrived. So, who else but my amazing, newly-met travel companion could come up with a solution?

A few minutes after deciding to hitchhike, a car with a family of three stopped, and not only did they take a detour to drop us off at what would be our next stop, the Nine Turns Trail (九曲洞) but they were so kind and generous that they didn’t make us feel uncomfortable about it at all.

This second path was shorter, but its unique feature lay in how the trail was structured: it was almost entirely inside a tunnel, with tall pillars lining both sides. Looking out from them, you could catch glimpses of views that, despite the unkind weather and overcast sky, were nothing short of stunning. I believe, and I’m pretty sure, the photos I managed to take don’t even come close to capturing the beauty and grandeur of it all.

In any case, the stop was short, it was getting late, and Yun Xia had to head home to Taipei (to take care of her cat). It would take her a bit longer than me, as I was staying in a hostel in Hualien that night. Fortunately, the return bus passed by, almost on time!

Instead of heading straight back to Hualien, to the hostel as I had thought, while chatting about this and that with her, I decided to go to the last bus stop: I really wanted to see the sea. I got off at the terminal, Tianyang, to head to Qixingtan Beach: 七星潭 (Qīxīngtán).

Imagine arriving, just after getting off the bus, to a rather isolated street with small local vendor stalls on either side, surrounded by lush greenery that leads to the pebbles of the beach and then the blue of the sea, with stray dogs wandering around alone.

The encounter with these stray dogs was one of the few (maybe the only) moments during this week-long solo trip when a red flag went off in my mind. But it wasn’t until I realized I had wandered into what seemed like the entrance to an aboriginal reserve—an area that, as I later found out, held cultural significance for the local people but wasn’t formally designated as a reserve—that I had to fight my curiosity to keep going. I realized that I was all alone, in the middle of a barren field with a few trees, and at least two large stray dogs by my sides, not looking at me too kindly. Calmly (my movements were, but not the beating of my heart), and with all the composure I could muster, I got out of that uncomfortable situation and made my way toward the beach, where I stayed afterward.

The beach!

As soon as I got close, I felt an urge to do something that was a bit unusual for me. You should know that when I travel, I tend to not stay very much in contact with my loved ones; I check in with a simple "I'm fine, hi, how are you?" But in that moment, I felt the need to make a video call to my parents because I had to share the vastness and power of what was in front of me. They were with my grandmother when I tried to give them a taste of what was a very rough, threatening sea, yet at the same time so fascinating and powerful. It had the power to send adrenaline through my veins, and a feeling that, neither with words now, nor on the phone with them that day, I think I was able to convey.

I walked from one side of the shore to the other, until, after meeting some Taiwanese children who called me "美国人," (měiguó rén - American), (different from mainland China, where I was mostly called "俄罗斯,"(Éluósī - Russian), I headed towards the bus stop. It was there, after an hour of waiting for a bus that I thought would never come, that I met a Vietnamese family, with the father speaking perfect English, and we exchanged some travel information.

Just as we were talking and trying to figure out how to get back, since the bus still hadn’t arrived, a tourist bus driver showed up, a private one, to replace the one that was supposed to pass. With a kindness that continued to surprise me, despite having encountered not one person who wasn’t kind during those days of traveling, he explained that we had to go with him. And so, after a long journey (I was at one of the last stops, having reached the terminal), I got off and headed towards the hostel, which was still an unknown to me.

When I saw the alley I had to go down, it seemed anything but reassuring, since it was dark. But as soon as I stepped inside, I understood that this wasn’t just any hostel, and that it would be hard to find one as beautiful as this in the future.

I was greeted by a girl at check-in who gave me some directions, explained that I could check out on my own by leaving the key on the desk, and told me that the room I was going to stay in had girls from all over the world. "You’ll get along well," she said. "You’ll have so much to share, I’m sure of it." And that’s how it was.

Without even realizing it, I was plunged into the story of Charlotte (a fictional name), from France, who was taking a gap year from work and spoke a little Italian. During this year, Charlotte had sailed on a boat with strangers and planned to surf in Taiwan. Charlotte had a diary in which she asked everyone, including me, what happiness is. I think I told her that happiness, for me, is like a quest, something you never stop searching for, traveling, meeting people, and having experiences. But what struck me the most were the answers, so different, that people gave her. The simplest ones were the ones that touched me the most. I don’t have any contact with her at the moment, but I’m sure she’s gathered many more interesting ones.

We went to bed early, and the next day, when I went out to explore the east coast of Taiwan, I didn’t meet any of them. I said goodbye to this place with a bit of melancholy, and I hope to return one day. I hope it didn’t suffer too much damage after the 2024 earthquake.

This part of my journey has come to an end, but the more I write, the more I realize how much happened in those six days in Taiwan, and even the seemingly insignificant details, when I think about them now, take on a new hue. For example, how cozy was the little room and the bed I slept in at Hualien? I felt so at peace, and so at home. A year may have passed, but when I think about it, the feeling of gratitude remains.