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nqmonarch · 7 months

Note

Genuinely wanna hear more regarding the No Wish SAHSRAU (Is that how it's spelled?) especially with all the new events that's happened.

Including the Dr Ratio that slid into our DMs.

First, apologies for the wait I took a while doing this request and then also decided not to post anything during the Palestine strike period because free Palestine.

And man, I don't know how it's spelled. I'd assume that's right it's so long though. Also YES Dr. Ratio sliding into our DMs except bro waltzes in and calls us an idiot ;-;

But first! Let's catch up with some of the current crew who is currently in Penacony!

Warning Penacony Spoilers

For the Trailblazer Penacony's been rough... Shortly after the death of their new closest friend, they'd been coerced into talking with Aventurine, and now had to make a decision without consulting any of the Astral Express beforehand. Sure, they were a seasoned adventurer with two missions under their belt but they still have no idea about their past or if they could trust such sketchy people.

"Aventurine, that little rat..." Their ears perked up when they suddenly heard the voice of this presumed Aeon. "I want to knock my fist against his forehead and see if there's a brain in there." The Trailblazer wouldn't try that.

But if you were acting like this maybe Aventurine and Black Swan could be trusted. The Trailblazer forced themselves to relax and tried to show confidence in their eyes. They could do this. It was good you were still by their side in the dreamscape, otherwise... what would they do?

Herta has found it's more difficult to communicate with you than the Aeons. While the Aeons simply didn't want to communicate it was as if there was some sort of wall separating her from you. It was beyond fascinating but it irked her, she wanted to get into contact with you right away. Then, as she was working to implement a simulated version of you into the simulated universe as an Aeon she had a revelation. What if... this was all a game?

Natasha had done it. Recently the eyes glanced off her more often, something she couldn't help but feel disappointed at. But upon one instance when they glanced upon her, she'd taken their warmth in full, and decided to set out. It seemed when these eyes were on her, she improved in nearly every aspect, so maybe her luck would improve as well? Even though it had been a dead end many times before she investigated Vache's worn down laboratory covered by snow searching for research. Except this time, she found something. This Aeon... was strangely benevolent and caring towards mortals.

That's all the updates we have for now on the current characters, in terms of progress. Herta is one smart cookie but who else is one smart cookie? Dr. Ratio!!! That man I love him so much. Sampo is also a potential worrying addition.

Given in the current event you can get either Sampo, Guinaifen, Asta, or Yukong for free, so let's see how they react.

Dr. Ratio

...This was interesting. The plot unfurling behind the scenes of Penacony was to be expected, Aventurine was being a pain in his ass also to be expected, but an Aeon looking at him? A smart Aeon. One who also must hope to purge the world of ignorance! A noble pursuit. Or perhaps, they'd realized their own ignorance and sought to rectify it some of the Aeons were rather lackluster in this manner after all. But they'd likely never change in their ways.

And you're no longer looking at him, that's fine. Is it a bit more chilly in here or is it just him? An interesting side effect of your gaze then, the feeling of warmth. He wondered why that happened, the look of Nanook was dangerous and suffocating, near fatal for any mortal. That of Yaoshi's was said to be sickeningly sweet and suffocating as well. Nous' was cold and calculating, judging your every asset and whether or not you had potential. Everyone had potential, they just had to choose to rid themselves of their ignorance. If the gaze wasn't suffocating maybe... you were a weak Aeon? One that had just formed or had been thought to have died.

Interesting. Aeons, the topic no scholar knew completely about. Herta was researching deeply into them, Dr. Ratio supposed he could always ask her yet he didn't want to feed into her ego. There were other ways to get the information though.

Guinaifen

"Hello, hello! Can you all hear me? Good morning fam! And welcome to Little Gui's stream!"

It was then when Guinaifen suddenly felt warmth wash over her. Oh, maybe it was because this stream was her first normal one after all the ghost catching business but she found herself getting flustered...? Flattered...? She wasn't sure exactly how to describe it yet she felt even more energetic than usual! As if she could go on for hours! When she ended her stream, the warmth was still there and she still felt as if she was being watched.

Wait-- wasn't this how people said they felt when they were being watched by an Aeon? Something similar to this right?! If even an Aeon was watching her, she was definitely going to be famous! When Guinaifen went to tell Sushang about this news, she found Sushang had run into the same thing! Weren't the two of them an impressive pair? :)

E1 Asta

Research had been going smoothly, partly thanks to the eyes always observing Asta. With them came the warmth that brought confidence and innovation she felt she wouldn't feel otherwise. But, she could feel the warmth all the time now. She doubted an Aeon would be able to watch her all of the time so had she been blessed? That was good, she was able to focus on all the stars and her research more now and learn more in less time!

But... why did she feel so forlorn? As if she had been deserted? Had you just blessed her and moved on your way? Herta... Herta knew a lot about Aeons maybe she would know something about what had happened to her, maybe she would know if you're still around.

E1 Yukong

Even after it all Yukong wished to return to the skies. Despite failing her comrades, despite all those around her who she'd cared for yet failed to stop their death, despite the burning wreckage she'd had to painstakingly crawl out of. Yukong wished to fly. In this long life where even the things she'd once loved had dulled, the longing to fly was forever there.

The warmth was on her constantly now, she completed her paperwork faster, she created ingenious plans, but what did it matter?

"I want to go back," Yukong had spoken one day out to the silence of the world and when the warmth remained she realized, perhaps she could go back and fly. Maybe... it would be okay. But for now her fear remained, albeit comforted by the sight of an Aeon.

What a strange Aeon, to care so much for a mortal.

Sampo (spoiler warning for Black Swan quest, although I was kind of confused the whole time so some information may be incorrect)

Now this would be fun! Sampo had known he was right, this was only another clue in the right direction! And this Aeon, watcher, player, reader, whomever you were appeared at the perfect time! Whenever your gaze fell upon him, he could feel his speed increase as well as the rest of, if this were to be a game, his "stats." He knew he wasn't crazy, of course he'd never had that idea in the first place! He'd be able to retrieve his mask much easier now, he could deal with you later.

It wouldn't be anything bad, don't worry, Sampo Koski is always happy to have a new business partner and friend :) !

If there's anything else you wanna hear about it I'd be more than happy for ideas cause I love these little guys (the characters) . It's just them living their life except they're stronger and feel as if they can enact their dreams! And maybe they gain a friend or a small crush on the way but hey that doesn't mean anything until Penacony comes out with some tech they worked on with Herta that allows you to visit in your dreams but no way something like that will happen, right?

Also trailblazer is genuinely so stressed like imagine having to make the decisions to save an ENTIRE FUCKING PLANET and you don't even know who the you are or what you've been through, you're genuinely so lost but hey you're alive, somehow.

#hsr #reader insert #hsr x reader #self aware hsr #sahsrau #trailblazer #herta #natasha #dr. ratio #yukong #gn reader #asta #sampo #guinaifen #its kind of x reader in some spots if you squint

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skrunklyshrimp · 3 months

Text

Favourite regular - Semi E.

You, a new business owner, becomes close with your new favourite regular, Semi Eita. Coffee shop AU

Warnings: Timeskip spoilers for their jobs!

Notes: Thank you @cheshanoneko-draws for the image! Also I rushed the ending a bit, so if it seems a bit lackluster that's why! 5545 words!

˚₊‧꒰ა 𖹭 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

“Finally I’m able to go home on time. I haven’t practiced guitar in a while.” Semi Eita mutters to himself. He’s had to work overtime for the past few days, sleeping in the office. By the time he eventually reaches the bus stop, the bus has already passed. “I want coffee.” he sighs and looks at the nearby stores, to his surprise a new coffee shop has opened.

Ding, ding.

The familiar sound of the door cracking open gains your attention. You look over to see someone in a suit with ashy blond hair and tired demeanor, the thing that catches your attention the most though being his beautiful brown eyes.

“Welcome to the shop! What can I get for you tonight?” You ask the man as he approaches the counter.

“A medium coffee, black please.” He requests.

“That will be 350 yen please.” You wait as he digs around his pockets.

“Shit I only have 300, just make the coffee small.” The man sighs.

“Don’t worry about the 50 yen, it’s on the house. After all, you're one of my first customers.” You quickly say, feeling bad for the poor man, he probably just came back from a long day at work.

“I’ll pay you back, I promise, er,” He squints his eyes trying to see your nametag, “(L/N). I will pay you back (L/N).”

“Please don’t worry about it, like I said it’s on the house.” You respond, pouring out his coffee. “Make sure you get rest today, I can tell you had a long day.”

The man nods while grabbing his drink and walking back outside to the bus stop. You sigh and lean against the counter after a long day at work, after you’ve taken a rest you get back up to finish cleaning.

“I had to sleep in the office again!” Semi complains while kicking a rock on the street. “I’m gonna have to call the band to cancel again. Damn it!” He wails in anger. “I need another coffee.” Sighing, he starts heading to a familiar shop.

Ding, ding.

“Welcome- oh it’s you from the other day!” You say, happy to see a possible regular.

“You remember me?” He questions,

“Of course I do! I try to remember all my customers, they’re all special to me and this shop.” You gleefully say, “Now a medium black coffee again?” He nods at your statement before adding,

“As well as two of those croissants please.” He requests.

“Your total is 1030 yen.” You answer, grabbing his two croissants as he looks around in his pockets.

He hands you 1100 yen, grabbing the croissants you were holding. “Here, keep the change. I told you I’d repay you one day.”

“Wait! I can’t take extra money from a customer, here let me get your change.” You hurry to grab the cash out of the register only for something to be shoved into your mouth.

“I told you I’d repay you. Don’t mind getting me another croissant.” He smiled at you.

You pull the croissant out of your mouth, “You didn’t have to do that. Anyway, if you don’t have anywhere to be, would you like to sit and chat while we eat?” You ask as you start brewing the coffee.

“I don’t have anywhere to be, it would be a pleasure to eat with you.” Semi responds.

It’s funny, Semi thought. He wanted to go home, have a beer and sleep the night away, but here he is waiting for you to finish making his drink so the two of you can chat.

“Here you go, uh…” The realization hit you, “Oh my god I don’t even know your name! I’m so so sorry.” You apologize for your lack of manners but he just laughs.

“You’re kind of a clutz, I guess that’s what attracts people to you.” He says, grabbing his coffee, “My name is Semi Eita.”

“Have a seat anywhere Semi, I’ll join you after I make myself a drink.” You tell him, starting to prepare your own drink.

As Semi sat down in a booth he realized that the coffee shop was extremely clean, even if it was around closing time. This leads him to wonder if you get many customers. He wondered why people wouldn’t want to come. There’s you with a friendly personality, the beautifully decorated interior and the delicious pastries.

“Sorry it took a little long to make my drink.” You take a seat across from him. “So, Semi. Where do you work? You always seem so tired.” You wondered.

“I’m a civil servant, I mainly work with taxes and stuff. It’s a busy season right now.” He sighs and takes a sip of his coffee, “I also play in a band as a side gig.”

“You’re lying right?! That’s so cool!” You exclaim, “Being in a band, even as a side gig, is such a huge thing! What instrument do you play? Or are you a vocalist?” You bombard him with questions, flustering him a bit.

“I play guitar, but since it's a busy season I’ve been canceling practices with the other members.” He awkwardly laughs. “You should come watch us play one day, I promise we’re not the worst.”

“I’ll watch no matter what! Supporting small bands or businesses is something I’m completely fine with doing. Probably because this coffee shop is a small business so I understand what they may be going through.” You answer.

“I’ll continue to support your business.” He says while standing up. “It’s my que to head out now, the bus should be passing by any minute now. Thank you for this chat (L/N). Next time we’ll talk more about you.” Semi began to run out to his bus stop.

Sighing, you start to clean off the table the two of you were sitting at, changing the sign at the front from open to closed. Today you didn’t get many customers, but that’s the business world, some days will be slow. Flicking off the lights you grabbed your keys and started walking home.

˚₊‧꒰ა 𖹭 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

“SemiSemi!” A particular annoying voice calls out to Semi.

“What’s up Tendou. Oh? You came with Ushijima too?” Semi states, seeing Ushijima wave as Tendou jumps up and down in the air, getting Semi’s attention.

“That’s right! Ushijima had a free day today so he was able to come with us.” Tendou says, “Also here, freshly made chocolate!” He throws a bag of chocolate at Semi.

“I don’t get any?”

“Oh Goshiki. I didn’t realize you were coming too.” Ushijima says.

“Yeah, I managed to find time between games and classes.” Goshiki responds, “Also Shirabu is supposed to be coming as well.”

“We may be missing the majority of the team but it’s like we’re all still here together.” Semi reminisced about the time they had ditched volleyball practice to visit a shrine together, now years later they’re visiting the same shrine.

“Don’t act like they’re dead, Semi. All of them are very much alive.” Shirabu says, making his late grand entrance.

“You look dead inside. How’s med school treating you?” Semi asks, looking Shirabu up and down.

“Whatever it’s not like you look any better!”

“That’s enough you two, do you have to have me step in like back then?” Tendou says, slugging his arms over their shoulders.

“I never want to see anything like that ever again please Tendou.” Goshiki shudders at the memory.

“Let’s head up then.” Ushijima says, walking ahead of the group.

You decided to head up to the shrine to pray for good fortune, with bills racking up it looks like you might go under soon. After praying you wonder where to go next. You can’t open the shop since it’s a holiday, you can’t buy anything since you don’t have money, all your friends are with family right now. You sigh.

“(L/N) is that you?” You hear a voice call out to you, surprised you turn around to see Semi looking at you. He was wearing some jewelry with a darker colour scheme, paired with a fur coat on top.

“Who’s this Semi? Did you find a date and not tell us!?” A red haired person panics behind him.

“No this is (L/N), they own a coffee shop around the bus stop I take to go home. I went in one day and I keep visiting, I’m a regular there.” Semi explains the situation to his friends.

“Nice to meet you!” A black haired man extends his hand, “I’m Goshiki, nice to meet you (L/N).”

“Goshiki you just said the same thing twice.” An olive haired man says before approaching you, “I’m Ushijima.”

“My name is Shirabu, I’m actually the closest with Semi out of everyone here.” The man with sandy hair waves at you as Semi rolls his eyes.

“And last but not least I’m-”

“You’re Tendou Satori!” You exclaim. “Your chocolate is so popular, I’m actually a huge fan of your work and I hope you continue to show how you make chocolate! Seeing you motivated to follow your dreams as a chocolatier actually inspired me! “ You laugh awkwardly, seeing as how you’re bombarding the man. “I hope you expand your shop, I’d love to taste some chocolate here instead of traveling all the way to France.”

“Man I didn’t get to do a big introduction, but I’m glad I’ve got a fan! I might try expanding here, depends on how I feel. Alas,” He dramatically places a hand on his head, “if only I had known you were going to be here, I would’ve brought extra chocolate.” He sounds guilty over the fact that he wasn’t able to give his, probable, number one fan anything.

“No no don’t worry about it! I’ll buy your chocolates one day but I kinda can’t afford anything right now haha.” You joke around.

“Since you’re here, want to join us for the day?” Semi asks, shortly realizing you might be with someone, “If you’re not with anyone now that is.”

“I’m not here with anyone. I’d love to join you all but I can’t really buy anything.” You say awkwardly. Semi looks at you with a frown.

“Then I’ll pay, consider it appreciation for how kind you are to me whenever I come into your store.” Semi says, not allowing you to say anything else as he drops his arm over your shoulders. “Where are we going next guys?”

“Did not think we’d be here. Do you even know how to skate Goshiki?!” Semi yells at the poor boy.

As the group was walking around town Goshiki and Ushijima wanted to try going skating, the entire group agreed except for Semi. Why did only Semi disagree? Semi didn’t know how to skate and he didn’t want to embarrass himself.

“To answer your question Semi, when I was younger my mom wanted me to go pro with skating, but eventually I got into volleyball and skating became a hobby of mine.” Goshiki answers, shocking almost the entire group.

“It looked like you had prior experience so I’m not surprised. It’s odd.” You say getting the attention of everyone, “I find that depending on whatever sport you’ve participated in changes the way you walk or act. Like Goshiki you walk like a volleyball player but there's this hint of elegance behind it, you must have been a figure skater.” Goshiki looked at you, jaw to the floor with your accurate assumption of the sports he partook in.

“Woah (L/N) you’re super good at analyzing people, were you some sort of sports manager back in high school?” Tendou asks, surprised by your knowledge.

“Nah, I’ve just liked looking at people from afar.” You say before realizing how wrong that sounds, “I mean not in the creepy way! Like in a sort of observation way. It’s interesting seeing how people interact with someone they like or dislike. Or if they’re having a bad day or not.”

“I suppose that makes sense. I don’t get it though.” Ushijima says finishing tying up his skates.

“Everyone good to go on now?” Shirabu asks. He was waiting on the ice for a while as the majority of you struggled with getting skates on.

Everyone gets on the ice slowly but surely. Shirabu and Goshiki start skating and trying to one up the other, Tendou and Ushijima skate around trying to get used to the feeling, as you try to get Semi on the ice.

“I don’t know how to do it, I think it’s better if I sit this out.” Semi says, his body shaking from nerves.

“Don’t be like that! You could have a fun time without knowing it, just hold on to the railing and I’ll be right beside you the whole time. I promise.” You try to convince him, holding out your hand to assist him onto the ice.

Still shaking, Semi grabs your hand and slowly gets onto the ice. While trying to get his left food onto the ice he trips over the bar and falls forwards a bit. Since you weren’t expecting the sudden force you fall down backwards, still holding hands with Semi dragging him down on top of you.

“I’m so sorry (L/N)!” Semi says, getting off you and sitting against the side. “I told you I should’ve stayed on the side.”

“Don’t be sorry, we’re having fun aren’t we! Look, you're on the ice now.” You cheer him up.

“Look at the lovebirds over there.” Tendou whispers to Ushijima, to which he nods in agreement.

“Thank you for today, as well as walking me home, Semi.” You thank him.

“It’s no problem really, and I should thank you for teaching me how to skate.” He laughs at himself. There were a lot of times where he fell and accidentally brought you down with him but you were right, he had a lot of fun.

“Be safe on the way back to your place, Semi, and make sure to not push yourself. I’ll see you around my favourite regular.” You tease him before shutting the door, leaving the poor man blushing madly.

“I’m your favourite huh.” Semi whispers to himself before walking away. “Damn it I should’ve asked for their contact info!” Semi realizes it’s too late to go back and ask.

˚₊‧꒰ა 𖹭 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Ding, ding… Ding, ding… Ding, ding… Ding, ding…

Maybe it was the prayer from the shrine or your promotion got popular but you’re backed up in your shop today. Constantly taking orders, making pastries, and cleaning.

“Excuse me but why is it only you working? You should get another hire.” A random customer rudely says to you, to which you brush off. Up until today you weren’t able to afford really anything, but if business continues to be as busy as it is now things will get better.

“Oh, Semi! Welcome, I'll help you in a minute. I just have three more coffees to make before taking your order. Wait, you're getting a black coffee and croissant again right?”

“You’re right but it looks like you’re swarmed, want some help (L/N)?” He offers, “I’m not good with making coffee or pastries but I can take orders and clean tables. Something to take your mind off stuff.”

“An apron should be in the back, grab that and put it on. Thank you, Semi.” You say, smiling happily as you bring out orders.

“(L/N) we’ve run out of cupcakes!” Semi shouts at you.

“Give me a minute I’m putting frosting on them!” You yell back, quickly finishing the sweet treats and bringing them out to him. “I’ve got to make more dough, you got the front counter?” You ask, to which he nods.

Flipping around the sign from open to closed was the best feeling today. Both you and Semi Eita collapse on the ground.

“You really need to get another hire.” Semi pants out, his sweat dripping on the floor.

“Thank you for helping out but, didn’t you have work today? I didn’t keep you right?” You sit up, guilty for making him late.

“Actually I didn’t have work, I have the next 2 weeks off. I’m visiting France tomorrow to see Tendou.” He explains, sitting up with you.

“Tell him I said hi!” You excitedly say, “We should start cleaning this up so we can head home though.”

“Agreed.”

So the two of you spend the next 45 minutes prepping the pastry batter for tomorrow, cleaning the machinery and the tables, and taking out the trash.

“I’ll see you in a week, Semi.” You say, smiling.

“Eita.”

“Huh?” You ask, confused.

“Call me Eita, not Semi.” He answers, smiling back.

“Then, call me (Y/N).” You wave goodbye to Semi and head home. Even if he was a regular, a friendship has blossomed from it.

˚₊‧꒰ა 𖹭 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Semi sighs as he plops down on his bed, after being dragged around by Tendou for the entire week he needed a good night's rest. He went to many tourist attractions, he even went to a few bakeries around and, he has to admit, their baked goods were really good but it couldn’t compare to yours. Luckily enough he managed to snag some of Tendou’s chocolate before it all sold out. He thought to himself that he should give you some before drifting off into sleep.

Knock knock.

“Ughhhh…” Semi groans into his pillow, looking up at his clock he notices he’s only been asleep for 3 hours.

Knock knock!

Sighing Semi stands up and heads towards the door to answer whoever may be knocking.

“Welcome back Semi!” Two voices call out while confetti flies into his face.

“What the hell are you two doing?” Semi goans, seeing both his underclassmen standing at his door.

“We knew you went to France so we decided to welcome you when you came back home!” Goshiki says.

“Yeah, and we were wondering if you got us any souvenirs..” Shirabu says, eying down Semi.

“No.”

“What! Why not!?” Both of them exclaim at the same time.

“I’m just messing with you two, but did you both seriously have to come visit me the day I get back?” Semi asks while inviting them inside.

“It was the one day our schedules aligned so we could come together.” Shirabu answers, plopping himself down on the couch.

“Have you eaten yet Semi?” Goshiki asks.

“Nah, like I said I just came back and I immediately fell asleep.”

“Then if you don’t mind, let me make something!” Goshiki insists.

“Knock yourself out.” Semi answers, joining Shirabu on the couch.

“So you didn’t get souvenirs for just us right? Did you get some for (L/N)? What about Ushijima?” Shirabu bombards Semi.

“Well, Ushijima is rich as hell and you know it. He visits France all the time to see Tendou. I also didn’t get anything for (L/N).” Semi lied through his teeth. What he found which reminded him of you was a mug that highlighted your kind personality. He also found matching keychains for both you and his underclassmen.

“I don’t believe you but you can spout whatever you want. Start the TV so we can watch Ushijima play.” Shirabu complains.

“Shit he’s playing today? I thought that was tomorrow.” Semi says, turning on the TV just in time to see Ushijima spike a ball, gaining a point. “Damn that still gives me chills to this day.”

“Yeah Ushijima is super cool. I can’t believe how competitive I was with him back in high school.” Goshiki, embarrassed with himself, says while walking out with a tray of sandwiches and tea. “The tea just got poured, be careful.”

“I was surprised all those years ago when Tendou said he wasn’t going to go pro. I thought for sure he was.” Shirabu says, reminiscing about the past.

“You’re not one to be sappy, what's wrong with you.” Semi stares him down.

“Med school has been getting to me, what can I say?” Shirabu sighs. He takes up a cup of tea and sips it to only spit it back out.

“It’s hot isn't it?” Goshiki stares at Shirabu angrily.

“Yeah it is.”

“Maybe you should’ve listened to me.”

“Stop staring at me like that!” Shirabu yells back jokingly.

“Now, now, you two don’t make me call Tendou, you do know it's early in the morning for him.” Semi says, trying to stop the fight between the two. The two instantly stop bickering.

Back in high school there was once a fight between underclassmen around 2am. Tendou, who was woken up by this fight, managed to strike so much fear into the poor students to the point where they resigned from the volleyball club.

“Let’s just cheer on Ushijima, yeah?” Semi asks, to which the two boys nod their heads.

Semi sighs, glad to see his underclassmen but also glad that they’ve left. Goshiki, bless his heart for making food and drinks, choose the wrong tea, making caffeinated tea instead of uncaffeinated. Semi took this as a sign to fully unpack and clean the house, to get rid of some energy of course.

“Oh that’s right.” He mutters to himself, picking up the bag of chocolate that he bought for you.

See there was a little event that happened in France. Semi had stopped by a bakery and they had chocolate croissants and they were irresistible. That’s when he had an idea, he decided that when he came back he would try to make chocolate croissants for the both of you. He spent a good two hours asking Tendou how to melt it, how to properly drizzle the chocolate, pretty much every question in the book. Now it was the time to put all the knowledge he gained to use.

He burnt 2 batches, one of which was still raw on the inside. Thankfully his last chance at making a batch turned out perfectly. He quickly drizzled the chocolate on top, letting it sit. Thus your big souvenir from France was made.

˚₊‧꒰ა 𖹭 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Knock, knock.

“(Y/N)? Are you home? You should be off work at this time.” Semi asks, waiting for you to open the door, he has all your souvenirs in a gift bag. You rush to open the door.

“Eita, I’m so glad you’re back, I missed you!” You exclaim, jumping up and hugging him.

“Woah be careful! I bought you some gifts and one is fragile!” Semi says, placing one hand around your back to stabilize the two of you.

“You didn’t have to, after all I’m not as close as you are with your other friends.” You pout, gently letting yourself off of him.

“Well I wanted to get you something. Mind if I come in?” He asks, to which you oblige.

Semi walks in and places his gift bag on the table, you followed him shortly behind. He then pulls out three different wrapped gifts, each being a different size. You frown.

“Did you have to wrap them all?”

“No but I thought it would be a nice gesture.” He says handing the smallest gift to you first. “Open this.”

You smile, gladly pulling apart the wrapping to see a cute coffee keychain.

“They had four different colours of the coffee, so I bought all of them. Gave one to Goshiki and Shirabu and kept one for myself.” Semi says while pulling out his phone to show the cute green coffee cup hanging from it. “Here’s the second one.” He says handing you the next gift, which was the medium sized one.

“Thank you so much Eita, don’t forget to tell Goshiki and Shirabu that I’d love to hang out with them again!” You say, smiling at the fond memory of the two. “Alright let me open this bad boy!” You say while ripping off the wrapping.

It was a mug, a beautiful one at that. It had your name on the side of it with beautiful designs covering it.

“I got it at a small business, I specifically requested your name.” He says, smiling sheepishly. “Do you like it?”

“Of course I do!” You respond almost immediately, running to the kitchen sink to wash it. “I’ll drink something out of it later. Now what’s the last gift!” You say while making grabby hands towards Semi.

“Here.” He hands you the last one, a slight hue a pink covering his cheeks.

You pull off the wrapping to see a container with croissants in it.

“French croissants? From a bakery?” You look up to him confused.

“I actually made the croissants myself, the chocolate though is Tendou’s chocolate. I melted some down and drizzled it on top, I also have a bag of them if you want it plain.” Semi says, giving you a big smile, “Let me know how they taste, yeah?”

“Eita..” You flush. He specifically remembered how you wanted to try Tendou’s chocolate, and he knew how much you liked pastries so he went out of his way and made you chocolate covered croissants. “Thank you, even if you were a regular at first, we definitely have blossomed into something more.”

Now it was his turn to blush.

˚₊‧꒰ა 𖹭 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Ding, ding.

“Welcome!” An unfamiliar voice calls out to Semi. Looking to where the voice came from he notices a teenage girl instead of you. “What can I get for you?” The girl asks, smiling up at him.

“Is (Y/N), er, (L/N) here?” He asks, only for her to shake her head.

“(L/N) is sick right now so my mom asked me to take care of the store for them. I’m alright with it because when this place gets business I’m gonna apply here and work!” The girl says enthusiastically, “So are you gonna order anything?”

“I’ll take a medium green tea and soup to go please.” He answers.

Knock… knock… knock..

“(Y/N)? Are you home?” Semi asks, giving time between each knock of the door. Eventually the door swings open, scaring him.

“Eita what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at work?” You ask in a daze, both from confusion and from your sickness.

“Firstly it’s the weekend, all I have is my band but we’re not practicing until later, secondly, I don’t want you to stay sick. Go inside, I'll warm up your soup.” Semi says, slightly shoving you back inside your house with ease.

“Oooookayyy, I’m going to the couch.” You point in the direction you’re going before sluggishly making your way there.

Locking the door, Semi lets himself in and heads straight for your kitchen. He brings out a pot and puts the soup inside, letting it boil. While it’s heating up he pours some tea out for you, kept warm by a thermal cup.

“(Y/N), here drink some of this.” Semi asks, placing the cup of tea next to you, after you not moving for a while he asks again for you to drink some. This goes on for a while before he’s fed up and takes the cup and holds it to your lips.

“Open your mouth a bit, I’ll pour some in for you to drink.” He smiles as you oblige, slightly opening your mouth allowing for some liquid to get in. “I’ll be right back with some soup for you.” He gets up and heads back to the kitchen.

As he’s out of view your cheeks turn a light pink, realizing what Semi had just done. Grabbing a pillow you lean your head down comfortably onto it.

“Have you eaten anything at all today? You shouldn’t get sick from lack of food.” He mutters, gently brushing some hair off your face only to realize you fell asleep. “I’ll put the soup in the oven to keep it warm.” He says standing up and grabbing the bowl.

After putting the bowl into the oven he notices the dishes that were left, wanting to make things easier he begins washing them. Just then the realization hit him, his face turned red as a tomato, he was acting as if you two were a married couple. For a good minute that was the only thing he could think of, getting very flustered.

Eventually you fell asleep. Not wanting you to sleep on the couch he picks you up and tries finding your room.

“(Y/N), is it this one?” He whispers, as to not stir you up too much. You groan yes in response. He gently places you down onto your bed, grabbing some blankets to place on top of you. He quickly runs downstairs to grab a glass of water in case you’re thirsty when you wake up.

“(Y/N).” He mutters to himself, “Am I in love with you?”

˚₊‧꒰ა 𖹭 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

“After talking with the council, Semi you definitely like (L/N). Definitely in a romantic type of way too.”

“The fuck is the council?? You just asked Shirabu and Tendou their opinions, didn't you Goshiki.” Semi angrily says.

“You should try making a move Semi. Now I have to go, my practice starts soon.” Goshiki says before hanging up the phone.

Semi groans and composes himself before entering your shop. Looking around he doesn’t see you until he looks down to you on the floor scrubbing something.

“Oh! Eita, don’t mind me, one of the customers threw up on the floor.” You answer what was obviously going through his head.

“No get up, let me finish cleaning it up. You’ve probably had a long day.” He says before bending down and taking the cleaning supplies out of your hands.

“Thank you. Oh also! I get to have some time off, I found some new hires since business has been going well!” You say while taking off the puke covered gloves. “Since it’s not a busy season for you, we should hang out soon.”

“I have a show this friday. If you’d like to come, I can get you tickets.” Semi blurts out.

“Well now I can’t say no if one of the band members asks me!”

“I’ll send you the information afterwards, but now I’m gonna go wash my hands.” Semi says, placing the cleaning supplies down and walking away.

˚₊‧꒰ა 𖹭 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

“Woah.” Is all you can say when you see the venue. It’s quite small but still feels like a concert hall, it’s not too empty and feels homey almost. “Excuse me but where is this seat located?” You ask a person nearby.

“Oh you’re so lucky dear, that’s right in front!” The nice woman says. She directs you the right way, and you thank her.

She wasn’t lying, you were lucky. Front and center, you got the greatest view of the stage. You wait in suspense as the band members go on stage one by one until Semi walks up. Oh, is all you can think. His hair, his outfit, everything just made him so attractive.

The night went on, each song bringing a new edge, and finally after an hour the songs came to an end. Before anyone does anything Semi speaks up.

“My name is Semi Eita, I’m the guitarist for this band and I have an announcement to make.” He pauses and takes a deep breath, “I’ve fallen in love with one of you in the crowd, I truly hope you know who you are.” He says as he holds up his phone.

That’s when it hits you, the phone wasn’t him ending the night in some punk way, it was a way of showing who he liked, that person being you. You were the only one in the crowd who had matching souvenirs with you, you were the only one who talked with him daily.

You walk outside with the rest of the crowd, circling around to the back door. You sigh as you think this through again. Semi, he was definitely more than a regular but, did you really want to pursue a relationship with him? He helped when you were in a time of need, he bought and made little souvenirs for you when on his trip to France, got you chocolates you’ve been wanting forever, and took care of you when you were sick. On the flip side though, you only knew him because he became a regular, you don’t even have any way to contact any of his friends. You sigh, deciding on your final answer.

You knock on the back door to see one of Semi’s bandmates answer.

“Yo, I can’t let you in here, sorry.” He says.

“I’m here to see Semi, he invited me to come here and I kinda need a ride back.” You laugh awkwardly as the bandmates' eyes widen.

“So it’s you, yeah? The one he likes, c’mon in.” He laughs and opens the door for you.

“Thank you for opening the door and thank you for telling me it’s me.” You wave and go on the hunt to find Semi.

You see out of the corner of your eye the door that says Semi. You slowly open the door to see Semi sitting with his head in his hands muttering about anything and everything, you hear a few ‘why did I do that’ and ‘god they hate me now’.

“Eita, don’t worry.” You hug him from behind, “If today was your way of asking me on a date, then I accept.”

#semi #semi eita #haikyu #haikyuu #haikyu x reader #haikyu fluff #coffeshop #semi x reader #semi eita x reader #tendou satori #goshiki tsutomu #tendou #goshiki #shirabu #shirabu kenjirou #ushijima wakatoshi #ushijima #timeskip haikyuu

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kairiscorner · 1 year

Text

currently watching our beloved summer (still on ep 1) and that one scene in the first episode has inspired me to make a miggy ver of this (the only thing i got from that ep was the funni car scene, everything else is just my deluluing)

ceo!miguel o'hara x secretary!gn!reader

the rapid clacking of your shoes' heels across the cement parking lot ground was reverberating throughout the air and filled your ears, distracting you from the echoing voices of your critical boss nitpicking at your plans for an upcoming event the company was going to hold in a few weeks. it angered you that your boss wasn't even going to do anything remotely related to this event, he wad just the one paying for it–and yet, the way he spoke to you about how 'overly ambitious' and 'a huge waste of money' your bolder ideas were and how 'dull and lackluster' your more simple ideas were made you confused and irritated. just what did this cranky man want? and why was it always your problem and your fault if nothing could satisfy him?

"that... geezer, what an asshole..." you muttered under your breath as you scanned your surroundings in the vast, empty parking lot. you searched for your car, clicking the buttons on your car key's face; listening for your car's beeping noises in hopes of finding the damn thing. you walked around for a bit and finally found your car; though when you tried opening it, the door wouldn't budge. you cussed under your breath and kicked the door of the car, hoping it'd open, but nothing. you kept clicking the buttons on your keys to unlock the door, but it just wouldn't open—that was, until a bigger hand wrapped itself around your own tinier ones and opened the door for you after a beep was heard from the car.

you turned around and was speechless, your boss was here—and he opened the car door, which meant... fuck.

your boss raised an eyebrow up at you and looked down at your petrified figure. "why're you trying to open my car door for me?" he asked you in a low voice as your eyes widened, your mouth running faster than your mind, and you stuttering out cut up responses that neither miguel nor you could understand. your hands shivered as your knees shook, moving away from miguel as you wondered where your car was. you clicked your key's buttons again, and you heard a faint beep in the distance, right across you two was your car, which look exactly like miguel's; it was a company-issued car, miguel got it for you without thinking much about the design, all that mattered was that you had a car to drive, but he never thought you'd be this clumsy to forget where you parked or what your license plate was.

you chuckled awkwardly and apologized to miguel about the mix-up, fidgeting with the handle of your bag as you did, making you seem a lot more agitated than you thought you'd be. miguel sighed and adjusted his glasses up on his sculpted face, looking at you with such sternness and coldness to his gaze. "just a reminder, you're not a child in school anymore; you're an adult, my secretary, might i add," he reprimanded you with such a heavy tone that made you want to really sob now—though all thoughts of sobbing were out the window as he got closer and closer to you, his breath feeling hot on your face as he stared down at you with knitted eyebrows. "i hired you because you seemed capable enough to do your job right; so don't go mixing up what's yours with what's your boss', i'm not here to deal with your clumsiness." he scolded you, your breath hitching in your throat as he looked down at you.

you gulped and nodded, feeling your face get all hot from how close he was to you. miguel pulled away and climbed into his car, closing the door and starting the car up, prompting you to leave an enter your car—but before you could even go, miguel rolled his car's window down and called out to you. you turned around and gave him your full attention, and you noticed... his face seemed a little... what was it? was he... shy? he sighed and told you he'd get one of drivers to take your car home safely for you. "but, sir, i—" "i would like to hear more about your proposals for the company event. i apologize for my... rudeness earlier, you were merely doing your job and that much i can respect."

were you dreaming right now?

the most fearsome company head you've ever dealt with is... apologizing to you? you were stammering and telling miguel that it was okay, he didn't need to apologize, he was the one paying for it and whose name would be on the line for the success or failure of this event, but miguel saw that as no excuse to have acted that way to you. he got out of his car and walked over to you, offering his hand out to you while looking away from you in embarrassment. "...i was gonna do the coffee run for today, but i didn't... wanna do it for everyone in the office, i... i want to talk more about the project with you." he told you in a hushed voice, his voice faltering and quieting the longer he spoke. he may be mean at times, and a bit too blunt and harsh, but at the end of the day, you're all miguel has to rely upon to keep himself grounded. "you do so much for me, let me, um... make it up to you; i'll drive you to get some coffee. you, um, you can decline, however, i—" you took his hand, making him stop mid-sentence. "i'll... take you up on that offer, mr. o'hara. thank you." you thanked him with a beaming smile, a genuine one, one that showed that you didn't feel as frustrated or annoyed with him as before, but rather more delighted that he was being considerate of you, which was rare for him to show so openly.

miguel looked at you with a softened look of surprise on his face, which quickly became crinkled up as he furrowed his eyebrows and looked away from you; hiding his face in his other hand. he never took his hand away from you at that moment, however, he merely grumbled his 'you're welcome' to you and led you to the front passenger seat of his car. he hadn't taken anybody out to eat or drink or catch up in a long while by himself, so of course, he was anxious, but you always had this aura about you that pretty much made some of his overthinking and anxiety melt away. this is why he loved liked you as his secretary—you could always do such an amazing job at work, and were always so good at calming him down; but he'd never tell you that was the reason why he was taking you out to this cafe, and, no... it isn't a 'date'.

...is it?

tags !! @miguelswifey04 @hearts4gabri @hisachuu @wreakingmarveloushavok @fictarian @yuridopted0 @simsrandomstuff @luvstarrstruck @popeheywardssecretgf @meeom @arachnoia @melovetitties @fable-library @ophanimgold @smokeywhalee @capnshtfce

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ofoceansandtombsanew · 5 months

Note

What are your thoughts on Frederick and Nichole?

Short Answer: I like them. I think the depth they will provide to Tamarack's story will be fascinating and I look forward to seeing them both grow as characters and begin rebuilding that relationship as parents as well as apologizing for being such lackluster ones.

Long Answer:

The Baumann family drama makes me unwell. It really is providing something we haven't really seen in the OL universe. We have family drama, don't get me wrong. We have Cliff and Kyra's divorce and co-parenting, and if you get the DLC for Step 3, you even learn about the full details of that divorce and the terrible foundations their relationship had.

We never get to see Baxter's parents but we know from his own words that they're not the best people. He also admits that if weren't their son, he would never be on the receiving end of the grace they've extended to him.

But we've never had something like Tamarack's family dynamic. We've got parents and grandparents in the picture! As a couple, Frederick and Nichole are solid. They chose one another, they just also less-than-intelligently chose to have a child before wrapping up their academic careers.

And I think some of the reason Frederick and Nichole are so divisive as characters is because of how realistic it seems. Dorothea shoving all the blame onto Nichole, Frederick finding his parents and keeping up with them a chore, Ernst's passivity all but co-signing his wife's views on their daughter-in-law and Nichole mixing up her priorities in her pursuit to prove herself to herself and the rest of the world. Then you have Tamarack wrapped in all of that when she never asked to be.

The independent but lonely wild child. The wild child that grows into someone with none of the confidence she had as a 10 year old. And who truthfully feels like no one really cares about her, especially not when she actually needs them (that is unless the player becomes a source of comfort for her).

It's one big mess that needs to be solved.

Frederick and Nichole interest me because of the way their minds work. They wanted Tamarack and wanted to have a family they felt would be better than the ones they came from. I think there's a lot of realism to be found in that. Plenty of people have kids whether planned or otherwise and go 'I'll never be like my parents!' only to end up exactly like their parents or maybe even worse in some ways.

But since this OL, we all know things are going to work out. Every other character with a bit of family drama gets a happy conclusion.

Cliff and Kyra are great co-parents.

Baxter is low-to-no contact with his family.

So I think we can all rest assured that the Baumanns are going to reach their own happy conclusion. It might not be perfect and realistically those who dislike each probably won't just start kicking it and being all kumbaya with one another. However comma, the end result will be something a lot better than what it was.

Tamarack's obviously never going to go back to living with her parents because the game is taking place squarely in Golden Grove but her relationship with her parents' will get better. Everyone in the Baumann family is going to grow in their own way and as a collective and I look forward to seeing that.

If everyone had super great families in the game, don't get me wrong we could still have compelling and moving characters but having varying familial dynamics makes the game more interesting and less static. Everyone's got their own thing

Aside from Tamarack having a gorgeous design, her family's dynamic is probably a huge part of why I can never give the girl a run where I'm mean. The most I do is click on a mean option to see what her reaction will be before rewinding to the option I actually want.

Like I said, I'm physically incapable of being mean to Tamarack, it's a curse.

Meme Answer: They're both hot. And complicated.

#look she's answering #anon #our life #our life: now & forever #olnf #tamarack baumann #frederick baumann #nichole baumann

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reverie-starlight · 11 months

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heloo saw ur req was open!

Can i req smth like a fic? (or hcs if u prefer) of mammon x gn reader!

Basically where reader is the type that enjoys horror movie and never flinches or might even laugh at some jump scare bcuz they think it’s horrible or funny! and mammon is like ‘what?? how r they laughing??!’ while he’s shivering and clutching a pillow like his life depends on it..

YES OFC I CAN THIS IS SO FUN!!! PERFECT FOR HALLOWEEN <3

(I hope you can forgive me for taking so long to post it, my plan is to schedule this to be released ON Halloween hehe)

also I don't watch a ton of horror movies, so I'll keep it kinda general, but I hope you enjoy anyway!!!!

gn!MC, pre-established relationship with mammon, takes place in OG obey me.

HALLOWEEN MOVIES WITH MAMMON

okay so

at first when you say you want to do a horror movie marathon with him, he's hesitant

yeah, human world horror might seem a bit lackluster for a demon, especially ones centered around possession or summoning- they might even see some as comedies if the execution was done poorly

but possession hits a bit too close to home for mammon, and he's never been a big fan of horror in general

you see him hesitate and before he has the chance to hide his feelings and force himself to agree, you give him an out

"hey, we don't have to if you don't want to... I just thought it might be fun since Halloween is coming up and it's a fun way to get into the spirit of it all. I won't force you, my love."

and he almost takes it.

but then he thinks about how you were probably really missing out on human world holiday traditions... and he sees the bit of disappointment you're trying (and succeeding for the most part- if he didn't know you as well as he did you would have fooled him) to hide

so with a deep breath, he sucks it up and shakes his head. "no, it's okay. we can totally do that! pick a time and place and we'll binge as many as ya want."

your eyes light up and you grin. "really?! thank you so much, mammon! I promise we'll start off with some easier ones and work our way up! I'll go make a list."

he doesn't regret his decision one bit and appreciates that you're being considerate of his feelings

until he realizes that your definition of "easy" horror movies didn't exactly align with his.

the first movie on the list was not "easy" at all, and at first he thought you were pulling his leg a bit

until he saw that you looked almost bored whenever there was a jump scare

it was almost embarrassing that he was clutching the pillow as tight as he was, but you were so focused on the movie that you didn't notice.

you did make sure to periodically check on him in between scenes and during bathroom breaks, but he didn't want you to feel bad, so he put on a brave face that seemed to sway you

he somehow made it through the first movie, and the second, but by time you were on the third (still in the "easy" category, you had said), he felt mildly sick to his stomach

during the movies, you had actually laughed during a few of the scary scenes.

how were you so desensitized to the horror genre?!

he usually admired your bravery, but this was a whole other level.

this third movie had to do with a zombie apocalypse, and you teased him, saying it reminded you of that haunted house you both got trapped in forever ago.

he tried to laugh with you, but at that moment the main character came into contact with one of the zombies and he wasn't able to hold back his scream since his guard was down

suddenly he was hiding his face in your shoulder, and shivering in your arms

poor baby starts apologizing and shaking his head when you pause the movie to check on him

"mammon have you been trying not to let on you were scared this whole time?!"

he tries to deny it but you give him a stern look and he sighs, nodding, starting to shake less now that the initial shock had worn off

"I just wanted to make you happy! I know how much you must miss human world halloween traditions and I wanted to make it feel more normal for ya..."

you smile at him and cup his cheek.

"mammon, that's sweet, but I'm literally in hell watching horror movies with my demon boyfriend, it doesn't get more halloween-y than that for a human," you giggle when he pouts and you lean down to kiss it away

"and if you were scared, you could have told me! we can watch something else, it's totally fine. it's no fun if only one of us is enjoying it."

he reluctantly agrees, still feeling bad for "ruining" your horror marathon (to which you reassure him that he didn't ruin anything, and then apologize for not realizing sooner).

so for the rest of the night you watch horror parodies (which are definitely more his speed) and cuddle up together under the blankets until you both fall asleep, thankfully nightmare free.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OKAY I really hope you enjoyed this, anon!!! and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!

I tried to keep it as general as possible because horror movies really aren't my thing, but if you're interested in more spooky mammon content, I have a fluffy halloween fic coming later today (it may already be out depending on when you read this) and I promise the quality is a lot better than what I've offered here :')

#mammon x reader #mammon x reader headcanons #mammon x mc #obey me mammon x reader #mammon fluff

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msnihilist · 2 months

Text

August of Whump Masterlist

day 1: food

Ben glanced down at the mess. Red, sticky liquid spilled out of the styrofoam cup and into the cracks between the asphalt. The puddle lazily inched along, slowly but surely growing wider.

day 2: cry for help

Through the agony, Ben didn't make a sound. He didn't let himself cry, he didn't give in to the urge to scream, and he didn't cry out for help, even as the voices of his friends grew closer.

day 3: freezing

Ben sat against the wall curled in on himself, shivering so violently that Rook feared his teeth might shatter. His skin was so pale and translucent that it appeared as if Ben was wrapped in porcelain. His breathing was still steady for now, but his head drooped and Rook could see him fighting to stay awake.

day 4: filthy / drowning

His lungs quickly began to burn, his chest tightening desperately. Ben pumped his arms hard, trying to propel himself to the surface. His fingertips scraped fresh air, but his head remained just under the waters' surface.

day 5: power tools

Ben said nothing. He held himself stiffly, lips pressed into a thin line. If he were with Gwen or Kevin, he would make some sort of joke — probably about how Vilgax couldn't manage it, but of course he would nick himself on a power saw of all things.

day 6: confusion

"Absolutely not." Rook swung the blaster around to Ben-2. "If you lower your arms, I will shoot you." He hoped that he sounded more sure than he felt. Because the truth was Rook had no idea who was who, and that was terrifying.

day 7: rot

The Omnitrix, much like the roots forcing themselves between gaps in the rock, inched its way through Ben's veins. He didn't even really notice its growth until there were black-and-green circuits curling around his chest, providing a dim glow at night.

day 8: rejected apology

Ben didn't try to say anything in his defense. He stood there and took it, because it seemed like Julie needed to say it. Their "break-up" had been rather lackluster. Maybe Julie was just making up for a missed opportunity.

day 9: role reversal

The doctor grimaced. "He was under the effects of a Cassiopeian Dream Eater for thirteen hours. He will be a little bit... on edge when he wakes up."

'On edge' was a gross oversimplification.

day 10: exhaustion / publicity

"How is he?" Carl asked quietly. Sandra gestured to her side. Carl peered over the back of the couch to see that Ben was laying next to her, his head on his mom's thigh. His chest rose and fell steadily with sleep.

day 11: freedom

His pupils were bright white and, even though Ben moved and spoke with plenty of energy and personality, his eyes were empty; his brilliant smile was vacant. He looked so beautiful when the only thought he was capable of was her.

day 12: monstrous

Zs'Skayr's laughter echoed through his head. In the mirror, Ben watched his decaying face contort into a grin, his chest struggling to rise and fall as raspy laughter was forced out of his gaping mouth.

day 13: outcast

And Ben felt his mouth go dry and his will to push deflate, because— Because it wasn't about his supposed skill-advantage — not really. It was about the fact that people were scared of Ben.

day 14: alone

As he rapidly began to slip into unconsciousness, Ben didn't fight it. He could see Gwen in the distance, silhouetted by golden light. Where she was seemed so warm, and Ben was so cold. Missing her hurt more than anything Charmcaster could do to him.

day 15: phobia

On the path ahead was a large male peafowl. Its feathers were folded back, but its head was cocked towards them, its beady eyes seeming to focus directly on Ben. Could they smell fear? Ben had no idea, and he felt his pulse skyrocket.

day 16: hunt

He was hiding in a tree near a small pond. If he'd had paper and a pencil, he would have entertained the idea of writing some sort of goodbye note to his loved ones and begging Khyber to deliver it to Earth once he was dead. As it was, though, Ben didn't have that option.

day 17: experimental serum

day 18: came back wrong

day 19: midnight

day 20: contaminated

day 21: set up to fail / creep

day 22: undecided

day 23: fate

day 24: humiliation / gilded cage / jewelry

day 25: undecided

day 26: tape

day 27: undecided

day 28: bloody nose

day 29: undecided

day 30: undecided

day 31: free day

Tip me on Ko-fi.

#ben 10 #ben tennyson #my writing #august of whump #to be updated

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sadsimp · 1 year

Text

Skate Date

I have not seen much for Leland x reader :(( so I figured I’d try :,) still haven’t played the game, just watched different videos so my interpretation might be a bit off. Sorry about that before hand :(

Not edited either and idk if they’re any warnings?? It’s pretty light and fluffy

~~~~~

It’s crowded, loud and honestly overwhelming but Leland’s presence helps a bit. Our shoulders and knees bump occasionally as we tie up our skates, me taking a bit longer since I want to make sure the laces are tight and that I don’t fall.

I’m nervous, I’ve been skating before and my balance is terrible. I warned him of this before I agreed to go out on a date with him, said I’ve never been and I would probably fall on my ass the whole time but he waved me off.

He reassured me that I didn’t need to be good, that he just wanted to spend time with me and said if I really didn’t want to we could do something if I wanted. He’s always so respectful and polite so I figured why not try?

Worst comes to worst I fall flat on my face and he leaves me right?

“Are you ready?” He nudges me playfully and I look up. He smiles at me and nudges me again to which I nudge back. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” I nervously grin up at him as he stands and holds out his hands. “C’mon I’ll be right here.” He reassures.

I grip his hand, take a deep breath and then try to stand as he pulls me up. I immediately lose my balance, giving a quick yelp as I fall flat against his chest and clutch on his arm and shirt for dear life. His arms quickly wrap around me, keeping me semi steady, “Woah!” He exclaims chuckling. “Sorry, you okay?” He questions with a concerned tone and face, he’s blushing.

Oh my god oh my god oh my god

“Yeah I’m fine I think.” I nervously giggle and letting go of his shirt to grip his arm. “I got you don’t worry.” He moved backwards and holds my arms, pulling me with him onto the skating floor. (Only ever been rollerskating once so I don’t know the correct words, I just know it was popular in the 70s. I’m sorry😩)

I let out shriek earning glares and weird looks at us but Leland doesn’t seem to mind, just focusing on me it seems. He smiles warmly at me as we finally get on the skating floor and turns to go along with the crowd, still pulling me along. I don’t move my legs at all but try to straighten my back.

I wobble a bit and squeal while Leland laughs and tells me it’s okay. He explains what to do and how while he drags me along with him. He’s actually really good, he doesn’t stumble or shake.

He makes sure I don’t fall and if I start to his grip tightens and he pulls me closer. Every time he does so he blushes and apologizes and I tell him it’s okay.

He starts talking maybe to distract me or just to talk but it’s nice: We talk pretty much about everything, college, work, our other plans stuff like that. I wobble every so often but he keeps me from falling.

The music is loud and people are constantly bumping into us but for some reason it doesn’t bother me as much as it normally does. Maybe because I’m not alone? Maybe because Leland wouldn’t let anyone do anything? His presence is nice and he’s so sweet.

He tries to get me to let go and try skating on my own but I much rather prefer holding onto him. He moves to my side and wraps an arm around my side and holds my hand, “Is this okay?” He asks and I nod. “Yes don’t leave me to do this alone.” I jokingly whine. He laughs shaking his head, “Never.”

We joke and laugh for the rest of the night while the music continues to blare and people come and go.

~~~~~

I’m sorry if the ending is kinda lackluster 😭 I lost motivation and ambition:( I wanna write more for Leland honestly 😩

#leland mckinney #leland x reader #tcm #tcm game #Leland McKinney x reader

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zablife · 1 year

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It's so nice of you to open gif requests to coincide with my return, Lee! What a sweet thing to do haha -

What a tranquil, lovely place, don't you think? I wonder who (of our Peaky crew) you will catapult there....

And I hope you have fun xx

Hi Val, I adore the GIF you sent. It is quite peaceful and I'd love to find myself there today! I've chosen John for this one bc I haven't written enough for him recently. However, I should warn you that with his character comes mischief and the disturbance of this tranquility. My apologies before we begin 🙈😂

Snakes and Suitors

The lake appeared as a rippled stone of blue green sea glass this time of day, shimmers of late afternoon sunlight glimmering off the surface in enchanting sparkles that danced and skittered playfully. Its murky depths practically called out to be explored by adventurous children or secretive lovers. The wildflowers and weeds that grew by the banks were as common and unassuming as the men who frequented the spot with their guests, but held a charm all their own.

Normally the Shelby brothers would discourage one another from a double date at such an intimate location. However, today was different because Tommy was dating a posh girl who wanted to see where he grew up and Arthur and John wanted to see the girl who had captured their brother's attention. You had to admit you were curious as well so you had agreed to join them for the afternoon, thinking how much fun it would be getting to know this newcomer.

Sagging under the weight of two large baskets, you passed one to John as you shuffled through the tall grass. You'd packed enough for hungry men, knowing how famished John was after a swim. You couldn't have imagined that you would all sit like statues on the blanket, munching away quietly on only a few of the tea sandwiches and leaving the rest to spoil in the sun.

Tommy's girl, Elizabeth, didn't seem fond of any of you, truth be told. She quieted any attempt at conversation with lackluster or discouraging remarks, leaving you feeling as though you were being chaperoned by a strict head mistress instead of enjoying the company of a new friend.

When the awkwardness had reached its peak, Tommy and Elizabeth took a walk to a nearby tree, abandoning the rest of you to wonder if this was the end of the outing. Feeling tired and bored, you sighed as you watched a toad hop by, leaning over quickly to catch it in your hands for some entertainment. Giggling to yourself as you felt its slippery feet kick against you and tickle your palm, you shoved it under John's nose asking, "Give us a kiss, love?"

"Already got my princess," he said, planting a kiss on your lips that relaxed you so much, you dropped the frog. As your arms looped around John's neck, the little green interloper hopped to Elizabeth's feet. Bounding up toward her skirts, she screamed out, clutching onto Tommy for support.

As he guided her back to the picnic blanket she proclaimed, "I'm sorry, I was startled."

"S'alright," Arthur said with a reassuring smile. "Fancy a swim, anyone?" You looked up hopefully, but Elizabeth immediately quashed the idea with a slight frown saying, "No! Goodness knows what else is in that lake."

John glanced at you, rolling his eyes and you knew he'd had enough of her spoiling the fun for one day. You could see the gears turning before he spoke and instead of popping a piece of cake in his mouth as you should have done, you let him unleash a bit of mischief.

"You know, that's probably wise, Elizabeth, considering what else has been seen out here," John said, looking over the lake with a serious expression.

Drawn in by John's mysterious statement, Elizabeth leaned forward, hand to her heart as she asked, "Really? What?"

"Snakes, of course," John said, matter-of-factly.

Elizabeth turned sharply to look at Tommy. "Is that true?"

Tommy stepped forward shaking his head, "We haven't seen one of those grass snakes since we were kids, John. Stop scaring her!"

John removed a toothpick from his pocket and studied it as though he were deep in thought. "No, there's another one. They're unusual cos of how fast they grow. And they're not afraid of people. In fact, they like 'em."

Elizabeth's eyes grew wide as John spoke. "Are...are they venomous?" she asked, an ardent student of biology, she was terrified of reptiles.

John thought for a moment before answering, "Well, I reckon it...spits, you could say from it's one eye."

"That sounds very rare. I've never heard of anything like this," Elizabeth proclaimed suspiciously.

"Not as rare you'd think," John said slyly looking to Arthur who was beginning to get the joke.

"The one eyed trouser snake has claimed quite a few young ladies in these parts, hasn't it Tommy?" John said as he began to shake with laughter. Arthur snorted behind him, watching his brother go red in the face as he clutched Elizabeth's arm and raised her from the blanket.

"The one-eyed trouser..." Elizabeth repeated before clapping a hand over her mouth. You bit the inside of your cheek as you watched her glare back at John, unamused by his childish antics. She stalked off with Tommy, Arthur and his girl chasing after them to drive them home.

"Well that's one way to put some fun back into our afternoon, John," you said with a laugh.

"Someone had to do it," he said, still chuckling at his own cleverness. "Want to go for that swim now?" he asked, removing his shirt.

"Depends, is it dangerous?" you asked with a smirk.

"Only one way to find out, sweetheart," John winked at you.

#zablife ask box #sweetheart💙#Peaky Blinders fanfic #Peaky Blinders imagine #John Shelby #John Shelby fanfic #John Shelby imagine #John Shelby x you #John Shelby x y/n #John Shelby x reader

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pjsk-story-summaries · 3 months

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On This Holy Night, I Sing Event Story Summary

TL;DR: Wonderlands x Showtime prepare for the second round of the show contest. They decide on a Christmas theme to match the holiday season. However, the largest and grandest stage in the park, the Phoenix Stage, is doing the same. The troupe goes to spy on their rehearsal, only to be spotted by their diva, Seiyurin Sakurako. She doesn't see the Wonder Stage as a threat and tells them off.

However, after seeing Seiyurin's skill, Nene begins doubting her own singing abilities. The others think she's fine, but Nene can't shake the feeling. Rui believes the only thing holding her back is her fear of making mistakes after her failed middle school show.

No matter how much she practices, Nene can't seem to get over it. Emu asks about the old Nene to try and remind her of the way she used to be. This conversation leads Nene to watching some old recordings back home. Though the her from back then lacked skill, her sheer happiness to be doing shows was enough to make the performance moving. Nene realizes all she has to do is sing from the heart. The next day, she apologizes for making everyone worry and asks to sing in the SEKAI. They also meet MEIKO, a new addition to the cast.

The show went very well. Seiyurin came to watch and ended up enjoying it greatly, much to her horror. When Nene sang the final song, it began to snow for real. Seiyurin started crying and declared the Wonder Stage to be worthy rivals.

Though the Phoenix Stage remains in first place overall, the Wonder Stage managed to win that round. Everything now rests on the final show.

Fan translation (Arvon Oven) / Official English YouTube Upload / Song (Nijiiro Stories) 2DMV

Chapter 1: Wonderlands x Showtime plan their next show for the contest. Currently, they're ranked third, so this one has to be incredible. Rui suggests doing a Christmas show to match the holiday season. The musical, A Merry Christmas, would follow the story of a lonely orphanage girl helping out Santa's apprentice on Christmas night. Tsukasa and Nene will both play protagonist roles. Though Nene's a bit surprised by it, everyone else is excited for her to play the heroine.

Chapter 2: Rui finishes the script when Emu comes running in, announcing that the Phoenix Stage will also be putting on a Christmas musical. The group goes to spy on their practice to see what they're up against. The troupe, stage, and audience are all much bigger than their own. They also have an incredibly talented lead singer.

Before Wonderlands x Showtime can leave, the diva notices them. She introduces herself as Seiyurin Sakurako, the best performer in Phoenix Wonderland. She's seen some of their shows before, and while she finds their direction good, everything else was lackluster. Tsukasa immediately defends both his stage and Nene. Nene tries joining as well. She leaves, and Wonderlands x Showtime returns to their own stage.

Chapter 3: Though Tsukasa and Nene are both wound up, Rui and Emu remind them the ultimate goal is a good show for the audience. Nene practices the song for the climax. Though it's good, she feels as though Seiyurin's voice is leagues above her own. Rui notices something is wrong, but doesn't think there is much of a difference between her and Seiyurin. Nene stays behind to practice more anyways.

Back in her room, Nene remembers the immediate aftermath of her failed show from middle school. She'd come to practice the next day, only to find the rest of the troupe gossiping about how she let them all down. Nene doesn't want that to happen again.

Chapter 4: The rest of the troupe is worried about Nene. Rui calls her over to hear her sing. He thinks the only problem is that she's being too careful with how she expresses herself. She just needs to relax. Nene realizes her fear from the past is what's holding her back now. Rui suggests trying to sing like she used to, but Nene isn't sure how.

After practice, Miku pops in to say hi and invite them to a Christmas show in SEKAI with a brand-new member. However, Nene declines and goes home. On her way out, she runs into Seiyurin, who antagonizes her further.

Chapter 5: With only a week until the show, Wonderlands x Showtime begin full dress rehearsals. The show is great, but Nene is still anxious about her singing. Remembering Rui's advice about remembering, Emu runs over to Nene and asks about her past.

Nene reveals that she had gone to see a play with Rui as a kid that was so incredible, it made her want to do that, too. Emu gets the feeling- she felt the same after watching shows on the Wonder Stage with her grandpa. Tsukasa talks about his similar experience with Saki and shows, too. Nene remembers singing so much it was annoying her family, but she had fun.

Chapter 6: Back home, Nene asks for some recordings of her old plays. Her skill was way off, but she was having so much fun doing it, it couldn't help but make Nene smile. She realizes then that constantly fearing mistakes isn't the right play. She just has to have fun. Nene decides to practice her song again.

Chapter 7: The rest of the troupe waits for Nene to arrive at the stage. Miku pops in to say hi, along with the newcomer, MEIKO. Just then, Nene arrives and apologizes for making them all worry, and for turning down Miku's show yesterday. She asks if she can sing for everyone over there.

KAITO and Len finish setting up the show. They need four members to sing the opening, so KAITO invites Rui to sing with Nene, MEIKO, and himself. Nene was finally able to sing from her heart.

Chapter 8: The show begins. Seiyurin had snuck into the audience to watch, impressed by their growth but still confident her stage will win. A bit with a guard (Rui) chasing Santa's apprentice (Tsukasa) on stage makes her laugh, much to her horror.

At the climax, the girl (Nene) gifts a young girl (Emu) a teddy bear. Even though the girl never got a present, the thanks she had received made her extremely happy. Nene begins her song. Rui goes to start the snow machine, but to everyone's surprise, it begins snowing for real. After the show, Seiyurin approaches Nene and starts crying. She declares the Wonder Stage worthy rivals and runs off.

A few weeks after the show, Wonderlands x Showtime receives the scoring tallies. Though Phoenix Stage is still in first place overall, their show was the top of that round. The final show will be the true determining factor. Nene thanks everyone for their support, joking that she's gotten her own Christmas gift early. Looking at her smile, everyone else agrees.

#wonderlands x showtime #unit story #kusanagi nene #tenma tsukasa #otori emu #kamishiro rui #wxs miku #wxs kaito #wxs meiko #seiyurin sakurako #on this holy night i sing #on a holy night with this singing voice

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svartish · 1 year

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sweet afternoon tea

surely i can beat writing block by just writing more. this one is directly inspired by the sweet afternoon tea and garden home day events combined into one fic. i know there was a lounge event before the garden one, but i decided to not address that project here. the dialogue from the very end is directly from the sweet afternoon tea event!

vyn centric. vyn grappling with the impending nxx found family. long; 3.2k words.

The NXX Headquarters garden has been, to put it simply, forgotten about. Vyn, at least, never cared much for it, never sparing it even a half of the consideration and devotion he put into his own garden back home. This indifference of sorts was how he always regarded the lackluster manor, and it had never been shaken until a more recent incident involving the pesky and infuriating yet reluctantly endearing team members he shared the building with.

The headache began about a week ago with the arrival of young Marius von Hagen barreling into the meeting room, papers nearly spilling out from his arms and a ferocious twinkle in his violet eyes. His palms made an obnoxious smack noise as he slapped everything down against the table, grinning widely from ear to ear. Vyn could feel a headache blooming already, and he hadn’t even begun talking yet. Rosa came trailing in behind the purple menace, an eager smile on her face as she joined Marius where he stood.

“Guys, listen up,” he began, waiting for the other three members to give him their attention. “I just had the best idea. The garden out back has a lot of free space, and we could turn it into a lounge or something. I’ve got some ideas here already.”

He slid the papers to spread out around the table enough where each member could peer down at one of them and see what he was planning. Vyn would never admit it, but even his curiosity was piqued, and he looked over the rims of his glasses and the mug in his hand at the sketch covered paper.

Most of the drawings were simple, though not lacking in artistic flair. The main inspiration was obviously creating enough space for each of them to have room to unwind alongside something enjoyable without forsaking the beauty a plant-filled garden can offer. Most of the differences between each design consisted of the layout of where objects like a table with five little seats or a small pond with fish would go.

“Well…” Luke started.

“It’s not a bad idea,” Artem interjected quietly, holding one of the designs while comparing it to the others.

“Marius and I thought of it the other day,” Rosa piped up with a room-warming beam on her face. “We thought it would be a good team bonding activity, and could make this place feel a little more like home.”

“Does it need to feel like home?” Vyn and Artem asked together before glancing at the other.

Rosa seemed to falter for a second, but it didn’t last long as her shoulders straightened and her conviction grew. “It doesn’t need to feel like home, but it doesn’t need to feel like just another office either! It’s not good for you to spend your time in places like that! You of all people should know that, Dr. Richter!” She wagged her finger at him admonishingly, and he felt himself wither ever so slightly under her gaze.

“You’re… right. My apologies,” he acquiesced, backing down from his stance ever so sheepishly. She was right, technically speaking, though he was still a bit wary of creating a more personal communal space with others to begin with.

Marius grinned proudly as he reached out to tap the paper in the middle of the table. “This one’s my most recent design. It’s got enough space for everybody while still leaving plenty of room for all kinds of plants. It even makes use of that big tree already out there too.”

“It’s certainly doable…” Artem mumbled, his finger rubbing absentmindedly along his bottom lip as he thought. The slight twitch in his brow was enough to alert the others that he was already attempting to envision the most productive way to capitalize on what Marius created.

Luke looked over the more recent design again before looking back toward Rosa, a soft smile lighting up his cheeks. “Yeah, I’ve really got no objections either. It actually kinda sounds like a good idea to me.”

Rosa clapped her hands in glee as she surveyed over the room again and shared an excited look with Marius. Her eyes only stopped when they landed on Vyn, who was still thinking quietly to himself where he sat.

“What about you, Dr. Richter? What do you think about the idea?”

Vyn was silent for a moment, golden eyes glancing one last time at each of the sketches critically. He paused before sighing slightly, silver lashes fluttering over his eyes for a moment.

“I have no objections either.”

He felt a slight joyful lurch in his heart at the way Rosa’s grin got somehow even wider as she and Marius rejoiced, turning to give the other a double high-five. Even the other members who had no real stake in the matter seemed to smile a bit, looking relieved as if they had been holding their breath while awaiting his answer.

“Great! Okay, okay,” Marius spoke, turning back to look around at each of the members. “Miss and I will finalize the layout plans. Artem can start picking out furniture. We could even try to put something up on that upper deck above the garden if you find something good. Luke, you look for the tools we need to plant things or build the furniture. And Vyn can shop for the plants. Sound like a good idea?”

Everyone seemingly content in their roles, the team burst into enthusiastic chatter, attempting to flesh out some of the design ideas they’d need. Vyn alone stayed out of this discussion, merely observing from his seat and sipping quietly on his tea. The most notable thing was the excitement each and every member seemed to have, obviously entranced by the idea of working together to create something for them all to enjoy. The notion was a little foreign to him, as he hadn’t felt the desire to build something with another for a long, long time. He closed his eyes ever so softly with the most imperceptible shake of his head, a defeated action contradicting the unfamiliar warmth pooling behind his ribs. Only the mug of tea rising toward his lips was able to hear the affectionate scoff he let out.

A part of him he didn’t care to examine found himself more eager than he ever would have expected. While he left that previous meeting unenthusiastic about the idea (or at least, as he described it to himself), barely two days had passed before he found himself standing idly in one of the many rows of his usual gardening goods store. In one hand he carefully balanced a petunia starter while the other lifted to examine the tag on an impressive bonsai. He flipped the tag around a few times between his slender fingers as if considering buying it, but the decision was already made up in his mind. He sighed in resignation as he carefully let go of the little tag and turned to eye some of the spades and watering cans on a little shelf nearby. He knew Luke was in charge of the tools… but he couldn’t help the innocently eager feeling creeping up inside him to do more to help out.

He shook his head at himself as he took note of each of the plants he wanted to purchase. All of them together would never fit in his car, so he decided instead to have them delivered to the NXX manor on the day they agreed to begin working. He checked out only armed with small bags containing transferable starters he’d take home with him now and tend to until it was time to move them to proper soil. He resisted the urge to purchase new tools to dedicate solely to the NXX manor garden, but made up for this by buying more flowers than he had initially meant to get.

Vyn, still trying to forcibly reenter the headspace in which he totally didn’t care about the project, had exited the store and started to slowly make his way toward his car, bags in hand, when he lifted his head and fatefully came eye to eye with the store across the street. The store, charmingly quaint compared to the urban scape Stellis boasted, caught his attention with the sight of high-quality looking appliances visible through the large glass window. He looked down at the bags in his arms and looked back across the street before slumping his shoulders in defeat and turning trail to peruse what this new store had to offer as well.

Getting lost in a moment of shockingly, uncharacteristically lacking willpower, he wandered around the store aimlessly, merely taking in everything around him. Nothing was in poor quality, though the high prices were an obvious drawback. Not like that was an issue for him anyway. Before Vyn knew what he was thinking, he found himself picturing how each appliance would look lined up in the manor’s kitchen. His traitorous thoughts delved even deeper to resurface the memory of them all crowded around the kitchen attempting to form rice balls together.

That silly endeavor had to be about, what, two months ago now? For whatever reason, Vyn found himself struggling to recall the more minute details he would have usually been able to picture in perfect crystal quality. He couldn’t remember who formed the best rice ball or the idiosyncratic manner of each member’s hands as they lovingly shaped each ball like he normally would have. Instead, the memories he was able to brush off instead were wracked with a scarily unfamiliar sense of… warmth. He could remember the way they had all smiled and laughed together. The way Luke’s lopsided smile bore only one dimple or how Artem’s cheeks bunched up joyfully like an old grandma’s when he laughed, truly laughed, for what felt like the first time around them. He could remember how Marius loudly boasted about his being the best but suddenly grew almost endearingly sheepish when everyone agreed and complimented his work. He could remember Rosa’s cheerful laugh filling the room, not left out in the slightest despite having to stand at a different table from the rest of them. And most of all, he could remember the sinking feeling in his chest when it finally grew time for everyone to leave that night.

Silver eyebrows rested in a deep slant as he thought. His vision slowly grew unclouded from the memory as it faded back into his mind, his eyes slowly focusing on the stand mixer resting on the shelf in front of him. His lips were pinched unreadably into something more complex than a frown. The store was filled with loud chatter, yet he never felt so alone. Was this store always so cold?

A soft click of the tongue, unheard by another, marked the making up of his mind. Vyn turned away from the shelf, a new shopping list in mind, marked by oddly domestic tools like ovens and mixing bowls. He merely needed to stop by a qualified attendant to order the items for delivery. Pale fist clenched around the handles of his bags, he grew determined to chase that warmth he felt for even a moment more.

Even if he had been ever so slightly eager in ordering new appliances last week, there was no going back now. All of the NXX investigation team had arrived, each clad in clothes suited to set up a cozy garden furnished to their desires. In a strange way he wasn’t at all used to, he felt something he unfortunately had to describe as embarrassment when he thought of sharing the news of the now more optimized kitchen, and bit back the confession like it was bile. He couldn’t understand why he would possibly feel embarrassed, as he thought he had nothing much to lose if the project failed anyway.

To the young doctor’s chagrin, it wasn’t like he had much time to ponder anyway. He was quickly grabbed away by the others, Luke piling tools into his arm and asking for help holding the legs of the new table steady while he screwed them together. If he lifted his head a little, he could see Artem already clearing space on the upstairs patio, and Marius could be seen moving boxes (and something Vyn suspected was an easel) onto the wooden deck. He could hear Rosa humming behind him as she arranged the plants, all still comfortably in their starters, into whatever order she found most aesthetically pleasing. The courtyard was, for the first time, rife with the energy and camaraderie of others.

Whether or not he was a fan of manual labor didn’t seem to matter today. Vyn didn’t find himself dredging through the project, nor did he find himself feeling embarrassed at any apparent lack of skill. He moved about helping arrange the garden table for a while before practically instructing all the others on the safest way to transfer plants into the soil. The garden was growing into something beautiful and personal all at once, something Vyn had to admit he never pictured happening. The worst part, which he would never speak aloud, was that he seemed to actually enjoy every minute of it. If he even noticed the dirt smeared on his khakis, he didn’t care.

Before he knew it, he was sitting on the stone steps, chin in hand, as his eyes absentmindedly followed Rosa around. His thoughts were consumed by grappling with his devotion to never grow close to others and the enjoyment he reaped from partnering up on such a sweet passion project. Perhaps the change in this garden reflected a more personal change in him.

“What’s got you so lost in thought?” Luke asked, peering down at him, squinting from the sunlight in his eyes.

“I did not realize that the manor's garden could be so well decorated,” he simplified.

“Huh?” Marius half yelled from across the courtyard, marching forward with his hands extended in mock annoyance. “Did you forget who designed the layout?”

Vyn didn’t respond, merely looking over his glasses at the younger man. He didn’t feel the need to extrapolate on his deeper thoughts and personal revelations, and his silence was filled instead by the approaching Rosa’s exasperation.

“Not this again…”

“I think everyone played a part,” Artem soothed as he approached, his hair surprisingly messy for once but his expression light. His blue eyes darted over to Rosa as if expecting her to build upon what he stated.

“Right, right! We finally finished decorating the garden, so let's celebrate!”

Luke grinned widely, an eagerness radiating off of him in waves brighter than the sun that afternoon. “Awesome! We’ve been at it for a long time, so we should take a break.”

“Miss,” Marius tilted his head toward Rosa, a hand shielding his eyes from the sun, “got any good ideas?”

“Hmm… it’s still pretty early in the day. Let’s prep afternoon tea together!”

Artem nodded, also shading his eyes. “That’s a good idea.”

Sucking an unnoticeable puff of air in between his teeth, Vyn lightly pushed up the corner of his glasses. He supposed it was now or never.

“It just so happens that after our previous rice ball experience...I ordered a set of kitchen equipment that may be of use. Everything is already in the lounge.”

“Like?” Marius drew out his vowels obnoxiously.

“Such as an oven, a mixer, a digital scale, and a blender, among others…” Vyn could feel that creeping feeling of embarrassment beginning to prickle the back of his neck, though he was determined to play it off cool. The childish grin spreading across Marius’ face was making that task no easier.

“Since when were you such a housewife?” Marius teased, lips curled up in something not made entirely of childish malice, but something deeper Vyn couldn’t decipher. Surprisingly, Vyn didn’t feel the regret and humiliation he expected to, though he wasn’t sure what he was feeling instead.

Rosa’s hands clapping together cut through the air sharply to draw their attention back to her. “Well then, let’s split up the tasks!” Luke smiled and crossed his arms, nodding his head in a confident manner.

“Since the appliances are all ready to go, I’ll blend all our cold and frozen drinks. I've worked as a bartender while doing detective work, so I'm good at that stuff.”

“I’ll make coffee and hot drinks. I learned how to make latte art during my spare time on the weekends.” For some reason, the entire group found themselves picturing Artem working dutifully over his kitchen counter as he practiced his secret latte art.

“I will bake the cakes,” Vyn offered kindly, his eyes filled with warmth mirrored in his smile. “Their flavor will not disappoint.”

“Then I’ll get someone to send over the ingredients we need, and I’ll take care of plating and decorating. Let me know which fruits you like,” Marius punctuated his sentence with a little wink aimed toward Rosa. “I guarantee you a happy tea time, Miss.”

Smiling from cheek to cheek, Rosa nearly pumped her fist in the air. “Looking forward to it! I’ll bake some cookies and help you all out. There’s no time to lose. We better get started!”

If Vyn had been told about two weeks ago that he would enjoy working side by side with his work partners on something personal, he would have scoffed. He wouldn’t have believed it for a moment. Yet, he now found himself standing in the kitchen he chose to properly furnish, working hard on a cake he actually planned to share with others. The kitchen was again alight with a familial enthusiasm, conversations and laughter overlapping from all over. Even when he wasn’t the one speaking or prodding at another, he could feel a light smile dance upon his lips like a whisper.

Tea time was something generally sacred and private for Vyn, the time where he could unwind while enjoying his dearest sweets. There are very few people in the world he would ever conceive sharing that time with, but he still found himself setting the cake he labored over onto the center of the table to share. He found himself cutting the slices carefully, evenly, and oddly holding his breath as he waited for the others to take their first bites. He knew he was a skilled baker, yet he felt the remote pang of fear that somehow, for whatever reason, they wouldn’t like it.

All he was greeted with were smiles and praise from the others, soothing his untoward anxieties in a single fell swoop. While he responded with a simple “As I expected. I am pleased that it suits your liking,” there was a giddiness bursting inside of him. He felt strangely excited to be sitting with these people, people he wouldn’t consider his friends at all, sharing something so uniquely important to him.

He breathed in the clear afternoon air, the sunlight warming his face as he tilted his head back ever so slightly. He could hear the chirping of the birds in the trees nearby and hear the water stirring in the pond across the courtyard. He could hear his coworkers chattering, just as they had in the kitchen, mouths filled with food this time.

He took a sip of the sweetest tea he’d had in a while.

#tears of themis #tears of themis fic #tears of themis fanfic #vyn richter #artem wing #marius von hagen #luke pearce #tot fic #tot vyn #tot artem #tot luke #tot marius #nxx investigation team #nxx team

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the-acid-pear · 8 months

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Watched Big Will's The Brutality Of MEN video (the reason I watched this fucking movie) and 1) he's so fucking funny and 2) I do love his analysis but it does piss me off in the movie context because, I'll die saying Geoffrey didn't do jack shit wrong.

Will explains how all the men are meant to be parts of James with Geoffrey being a representation of how he seemed nice at first but hid something dark beneath the surface because... He tried to run Harper over AFTER she ran HIM over. That's like saying Harper was as evil as James because she started hitting him (although less hard) after he hit her.

But maybe that last comparison is on purpose? Maybe it's mean to represent the guilt over that, after all, while defending themselves they chase the other person away, while also not doing nearly the same damage, and also not allowing them to apologize. It is worth noting I'm pretty sure Geoffrey never had the arm injury like James and the other men did.

But that's so stupid like, what's the point of Geoffrey as a whole then? If he was a woman too or, if we knew he had some similitude to Harper then them being a form of parallel would be cool, but that's not the case. He's also the last one to birth James who also I just noticed comes out foot first like when his corpse is shown, foot first. I remember this because I have a foot fetish. Will was right too that was my favorite scene in the movie.

Regardless this movie continues to haunt me for it's ambitious yet lackluster writing. Just a little bit further and we'd have had a masterpiece. The wasted potential will have me mailing Alex a pipe bomb.

#luly talks #men 2022

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georgiapeach30513 · 10 months

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your takes on CE characters are refreshing haha.

Though for me personally Steve is my baby and I will baby him until the end of time. He is my all time favorite character and is the farthest thing from a deviant or dom. I respect the people who imagine him as such but I cannot see it. I felt in the first avenger the entire movie they were disrespecting him and man was I sad for him. He was so damn earnest and positive throughout it and that’s what me cherish him. The soldiers booing him and throwing tomatoes at him. Him feeling like a dancing monkey but still found it in him to go rescue the 106th. what I loved so much about how they did the character in the first film was that even after he got the serum - he wasn’t immediately cool or accepted or even respected. He had to really earn it and I really enjoyed that gradual transition into him becoming the captain while Steve inside. But I digress. Everyone has different takes on how they feel marvel did his character and I really rather not ruin it with discourse.

But ransom - I am very intrigued by your take on ransom because most ppl tend to assume he’s evil to the core. I think he got written that way by rian johnson but Chris played him in a way that gave him a bit of a “possible redeemable” side but idk if he even meant to do that. Maybe it’s his own personality coming through - he honestly seems like even if he was trying to be this awful human being he can still be lovable. It’s like you can’t really hate him even if you’re supposed to. Idk how he does it.

It’s funny, when defending Jacob came out there was a split on twitter between ppl who were team Andy and those who were team Laurie. Some People thought Andy gaslit Laurie and also did some really dumb shit (hiding a murder weapon as a DA?). Andy wasn’t what I would call a super great lawyer. But I did think it was sad he seemed to have no friends and his whole life was Laurie and Jacob. I could understand why he was so ride or die for his family and I also thought it was super sad at the end when he told Laurie he loved her even if it didn’t mean much to her and she just walked away from him. (Don’t make your spouse your whole entire life, ppl. If it falls apart you’ll have nothing.) I do think his character had a lot of flaws and personally felt he did a lot of self sabotaging but I could also understand why he did it. One thing that did make me really really sad for him was that each time he would get angry or upset with either Jacob or Laurie he would still always want to make up or apologize. I think he just lived/loved for them both so much that he couldn’t bear the idea of losing them or having them be angry or walk away from him. In some ways, he’s kinda similar to Pete Brenner (sad upbringing, basically alone in life no family). For Andy, his self made family is all his has, then his work, and Pete, his work is all he has, then his family.

I haven’t seen all of his characters/films but one recent standout is Pete from pain hustlers. I extremely disagree with critics who claimed his character wasn’t enough or that he was lackluster. WRONG! Pete was FIRE to me and man do I want more of him. I’m still reveling from his performance because for a role that got so downplayed by critics, I was expecting basically nada but got so much more than I bargained for. The little bit about Pete’s background in foster care was very eye opening and the scene where he gives Liza that rookie of the year bracelet??? He got so timid and was like “just wait a bit before you pawn it” and I got so 🥺. He really liked Liza and I think that betrayal he felt from her really cut deep. So sad.

Anyways I digress. I just love your takes and the discourse on your blog!

You’re one of the few blogs I’ve seen where even if your personal views or preferences aren’t always the same as the anons who post to you, you are always respectful and give an open chance for discussion. I really dig that!

I love hearing takes on characters!! This is why I love Chris’ work. He plays his characters so nuanced and layered, so naturally people are going to pick up on different cues.

Now, what you said about Steve, I believe that for CATFA. But I think being out of time hardens him, and that’s why I have that take on Steve. Plus, I’ll be honest I can’t forgive him for leaving Bucky and Sam when they needed him. And he went back to Peggy after she said she lived her life. He showed how selfish he can be.

I think Chris is the reason Ransom was layered. You can tell that Rian wanted him to be very one note. But then Chris had those little pouts, and breath intakes. Ransom was a spoiled child that didn’t get love and attention that he wanted and deserved. There’s a reason that he’s Harlan’s favorite. He’s smart. He can be conniving but imagine that intelligence is for good? He would be so loyal if he found the person worth being loyal to.

I hear everything you’re saying about Andy and I agree. That’s why I get the vibes him and Laurie just weren’t good for each other. They barely knew each other when she got pregnant. So they grew apart instead of together.

Yes about Pete!! I’m so glad you picked up on all that! I found myself wanting and yearning to know more about Pete and his life. How did he end up in that situation? Because I think, like Ransom, Pete wanted love. He respected Liza so much. And the hurt 😭 Chris did so good!! I hate that most of the negative reviews focused on him. Because I think he was the saving grace.

If we can have good conversations about Chris and his career/characters I’m here for it. That’s who I’m a fan of.

#Jen.ask #Chris Evans

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spiritrosesaga · 3 months

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A Formal Apology for My Absence

So, before I begin, I want to take this time to thank all of you wonderful people here because of your continuous support, I've been able to accomplish so much in such a short amount of time, and my dream of becoming a writer, discussing my experiences as an individual with AuDHD, and being an influencer, are all coming into fruition.

However, I am sorry for disappearing for a while, it wasn't my intention but life got the better of me for a bit, now I'm back in action, ready to meet new lovely neurodivergent and LGBTQ people and continue posting for my fellow mutuals.

I also have a huge new announcement to share with you all and one I'm quite proud of!!

Here goes....

I've written and published my first Article on a website called Medium, I know it might not seem like much but to me, it's everything, especially due to my struggle with dyslexia and grammatical language impairment.

because of the amount of time, dedication, and effort I put into my writing, despite it being lackluster at times, this is a HUGE achievement for me!

Please check this out when you get the chance!

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everythingsinred · 1 year

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Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: Mikan (pt. 39)

I'm sorry. What lies ahead is more of a rant than anything else. It's not required reading in any case. Feel free to read if you want my take on the specific reasons why this ending is so lackluster.

We've come really far to get here, though! If you've read every part of to this, that is CRAZY. I think it's crazy someone would write so much about this, and I was the one who did it. Maybe we're both crazy.

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Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Eight

Time to meet Mikan! A second-year high school student living in a village near the ocean who lives with her grandpa and a strange bear. She has two friends who don’t seem to wear the uniform. Her life is simple, from the outside.

But she is a person shrouded in mystery! Even to herself! She has lost two whole years of memories due to an illness she had as a child. In her mind, she suddenly went from being in the fifth grade to entering middle school, which must have been jarring for her. All she knows is her grandpa, an ever-present bouquet whose flowers never wilt, and a teddy bear who came with a letter from a mysterious sender, whose name has been redacted. But this bear is not a normal bear! He is animate and can move and clean (and beat her up). The strangest thing is that it only moves in front of her and her Jii-chan. Mikan’s reputation in the village has been affected by this strangeness in her life. She is viewed as being an odd girl, a bit of a space case.

Mikan is the crazy girl in the village. I would have loved to see more of that...

It seems Mikan has always been a weirdo. I speculated at the start of this essay that Mikan didn't always fit in with kids in her village, and it seems that's still the case now. Where Mikan thrived was Alice Academy, where she was surrounded by fellow weirdos, where she made amazing friends and bonds that would last forever.

Despite the bear’s strangeness, she is very close to him. He’s a part of the little family she has with Jii-chan.

Mikan may be a strange girl surrounded by strange things, but she is an optimistic and cheerful girl who likes to look forward to every new day.

At the end of the school day, Mikan’s teacher warns his students about mysterious disappearances and suspicious people in town. All of the victims seem to be girls Mikan’s age, so the police warn against teen girls walking by themselves. Mikan finds this situation strange since their town is so peaceful and idyllic, and doesn’t seem like the place for a string of kidnappings. The teacher freaks out and insists on Mikan paying attention, shaking her by the shoulders and telling her to take care of herself or else he’ll have to watch over her 24/7… which is gross. Get away, Mikan!

Seeing her get harassed isn't enjoyable though. I hatE her stupid friends. Gross. Creepy. Unsettling. One of her friends is a grown man in disguise. I want to rip his head off.

Mikan leaves school crying after that ordeal and her friends just laugh it off, teasing her for being the teacher’s favorite and what bad luck that must bring. I don’t find it funny but nobody asked me! In any case, her friends write off their teacher’s concern because of Mikan’s cuteness, which she seems to love hearing.

Clubs and afterschool activities have been canceled because of the kidnappings, so we have a sense of how dangerous these events are.

Someone calls out to her on their way home--a boy who wants to talk in private. Her friends muse on how many guys confess to Mikan despite her “common” looks--and I must reiterate again how important it is to me that Mikan is not some drop-dead gorgeous model like Nobara or Hotaru are clearly made out to be. Also her friends suck. They figure her mystery might be attractive to boys, and that might be true, but I think her sweetness and bubbly energy might also play a role.

He does indeed confess to her and Mikan apologizes, citing her ignorance in the world of dating. She thanks him for liking her but turns him down. Her rejection of him is not personal at all, and thus wholly non-offensive. She doesn’t seem uncomfortable or put off by his affections, and I think that might soften the blow of her rejection a little.

Her friends scold her for turning him down, since he’s smart and in a prestigious club, and Mikan concedes that he did seem cool, but that she won’t date for anything less than love. They continue to bully her for rejecting him when love comes after dating, and Mikan sees their point, especially because she hasn’t had her first love yet, but she is sure, somehow, that she did love someone during the time she lost. As a result, whenever she talks to a boy, no matter how impressive or cool he seems, she always compares him to that feeling of love she still carries with her, for a person she doesn’t even remember.

Ah, the consistent endurance of love. The question of whether love is something that can be forgotten or whether it becomes a function as natural as breathing or digestion. For Mikan, it seems to be the latter. She remembers that she was--is still--in love with someone, and dating carries no interest to her if it can’t compare to that feeling.

The love is certainly not past tense, either, because she still feels it--an ache, a pain, a lonely feeling. She misses this person.

There's potential here but no follow through. What we get is just endless disappointment.

They stop by the ocean and Mikan relishes the moment, always happy to see the sea, as if she is watching it for someone else too. She recalls feeling that way watching the snow fall, looking at the sky, feeling happy like she was watching for somebody else, and then explicably crying, unable to stop. No matter what she does or experiences, her heart is pulled to that love.

And what do I think of all this?

It’s pretty confusing, the way it’s written. It’s no secret I fucking hate these chapters, and there’s a lot of reasons, but this scene is something I can’t relish in because it can be read a few ways and I can’t help but feel like I know which is the way Higuchi intended it.

It’s pretty clear from the blurry panels of forgotten memories that Mikan is thinking of multiple people as she stares into the ocean, thinking of Hotaru as she stares at the snow. And yet, this whole monologue of hers seems to be thinking of one person. What does this mean?

Well, primarily, I think Mikan’s amnesia mixes the love up, and I feel l want to believe that’s narratively intentional, that Mikan loves and misses many people, but can’t parse out that fact. Instead it feels like she just loved one person that much that everything reminds her of a love she can’t remember.

In my opinion, this love is varied, because she loved a lot of people in different ways: friends, family, Natsume (who has always been different). I think she is put off by romance because of her enduring romantic love for Natsume, but it’s not only Natsume that she thinks of when she sees the ocean. Mikan loved so many people and now she misses them, all the friends and teachers and classmates and family she met and lost. It would make sense then that amnesia!Mikan might look at the moon and think of Natsume, or at the stars and think of her mother. Maybe she hears a violin and misses Sumire, or cries whenever she studies because she wishes Yuu was there--all without actually remembering the person, just the love. As a result, because she knew and loved so many people, she would get reminded of that love whenever she does anything.

What puts me off about this is the rest of this arc and the unproportional emphasis on Hotaru. I already hate the choice to have Hotaru save Natsume so her fate hasn’t actually been sad to me for a few years now--just deeply annoying and pointless. I am of the opinion that Mikan entering the academy was a change for her, that she was a weird girl in her old village, who didn’t have many close friends until she met Hotaru. Then she went to the Academy and was able to make many friends with people who loved and accepted her. She finally found somewhere she belonged.

These ending chapters, thus, should have been about her enduring love for everyone, how the bonds she made at the Academy were impossible to forget. Instead, the reunion with Natsume and her entire class is condensed to one chapter--and very little of it is pleasant--with the entire final chapter being about Hotaru, as if to make the point that despite all of the love Mikan gathered and gained, Hotaru is still the person she loves the most, and by a huge margin, almost to the point where her other loved ones don't really matter at all.

AnyWAY, the kidnappers have found her and Mikan is terrified and confused. A mysterious explosion seems to save her from the kidnappers, and when she looks through the flames, she can see the silhouette of a person in the distance, a silhouette that makes her heart beat faster. She instantly becomes overwhelmed, because now it’s not just external events confusing her; she’s confounded by what’s going on inside of her head too.

On the other side of her, another man knocks the kidnappers out with his hand powers. And that makes her heart beat too. But Mikan assumes her discomfort around this new man is because he must be part of the kidnapping group.

Reminding myself that this is a ship essay and that Higuchi gave me a couple crumbs to work with... There's just not even enough to make a crouton with.

Then it turns out Shi-chan is actually Goshima in disguise and if you aren’t touched or particularly interested in this redemption, join the club! The “Goshima has been by Mikan’s side for years, protecting her” idea means absolutely nothing to me when it all happened in one condensed chapter, when he’s been seen bullying and even physically hurting her in his girl disguise, and when I never really cared about Goshima as a character to begin with. Too little, too late, too weird. I find this off-putting, actually. Whose idea was it to trust Goshima with anything after he’s been established to not be trustworthy, just for the sake of giving him a chance to “redeem himself”? For all the nonsense about Mikan having to forget everything just in case she gets targeted by enemies, they sure did take a huge risk letting Goshima anywhere near her after he knowingly caused her mom’s death.

Anyway, Mikan is overwhelmed and confused, because her close friend just turned into a man and there’s a lot of weirdos around and they’re talking about stuff she doesn’t understand--

And then she bumps into someone as she’s backing away, someone who instantly grabs her hand and pulls her closer.

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Nine

Her heart beats fast again, and for some reason, looking at this guy makes her think of that feeling of love she had mused on before, how she somehow knows she was in love before. Somehow, just looking at him and touching him, makes her feel like this stranger knows her, makes her feel something strange and yet unbearably familiar. She knows she’s felt this before--

The potential of this! It's almost interesting but it only lasts three seconds, so who cares?

The stranger gropes her chest.

But of course he does! This arc SUCKS! There’s so little good about it, why would the NatsuMikan reunion be any different??? I am ANGRY. I HATE this arc, not even joking. I’m not exaggerating; I genuinely hate this finale.

Anyway.

She starts freaking out--understandably--that this stranger, who made her feel feelings she was sure she wouldn’t find with any of the other guys who confessed to her, felt her up out of the blue for no fucking reason. She starts screaming for help but he seems unbothered. All of the strange men seem unbothered, actually.

Then, to make matters even worse, three new weirdos arrive. I don’t know why they thought it was a good idea to ambush her with so many strange people at once, all of whom are men, right after she’d been almost kidnapped. They talk about and at her without her knowing them and it’s uncomfortable. If you think I only dislike Natsume’s first actions with her here, you’re wrong! All of it is thoughtless and inconsiderate.

Who thought to themselves, “Y’know there’s a string of alice-related kidnappings near Mikan and she’s been warned not to walk by herself because these are predominantly male attacks on young female victims her age, so we should make sure to save her with an all-male team of suspicious characters who are sure to act strangely and frighten her”? Because whoever did is a fucking idiot.

Why am I surprised though? It’s one of the teachers for sure, and the Academy staff hasn’t impressed me much this whole manga.

They seem to know her name and talk about her like they’re familiar with her, which only freaks her out more. She lays eyes on a blond person who is supposed to be handsome and princely according to her thoughts (but I always despaired about how the finale boys look more than twice the age they’re supposed to be and are bizarrely broad).

But they all voice the same sentiment that the blond boy brings up: they have missed her and wanted to see her for a long time. They’re going to take her away.

Mikan considers this: a group of strange men appears at just the right time to save her from kidnappers, and they claim to be friends from a time she has forgotten, and now want to take her away from home.

She starts to run away, horrified, because obviously these guys are also kidnappers!

She despairs about why her life has to be so messy and mysterious, just as that gropey guy jumps in front of her to stop her from escaping. They make eye contact and the build-up here is that something drastic might happen, that she wouldn’t be off-base if she assumed he’d attack her somehow.

Instead, she is embraced by this stranger, and she’s taken aback by the sudden and uncalled-for sweetness. Until he starts screaming at her that he isn’t about to let her go. He says more cryptic stuff about searching for her endlessly, about how it felt to wake up without her, how hard he had to work to stay alive for this moment, that she shouldn’t have forgotten him.

And poor Mikan can only stand in his arms and listen, overwhelmed but undoubtedly touched somehow.

“Even if you have forgotten your memories, and the alice stone you had back then, you are mine.”

Mikan starts to cry, remembering that she had once been in love with someone, that she had turned down every guy who approached her because no matter how cool or handsome they were, they could never compare to that feeling of loving someone so much--a feeling that she only feels in this stranger’s arms.

Ahh...

Without understanding why, she hugs him back and cries in his arms, thinking about how she feels with this crazy dude she just met, her entire body overcome with electricity, with the “painful intensity of love.” Yes, love, for someone she just met. Love, for someone she’s loved for a long time, even though she’s forgotten him.

Because even though his name and face and all the memories with him have been forgotten, the love she has for him has never budged.

She cries and hugs him until her attention is drawn to his pocket, where something is flickering. He pulls it out to show her, a little pebble. He puts it in her hand and it is instantly resorbed, and WHOOSH!

She starts to cry. Because she remembers everything now! Just like that!

It’s almost as if having her lose all her memories two chapters ago didn’t actually MEAN ANYTHING! The lack of build up to this moment, the all-over-the-place quality of these chapters… it just doesn’t feel as exciting as it should.

It all just feels pointless. Or at least it does to me. Like. What was the point?

She says Natsume’s name as she cries, instant relief at being able to see someone she was sure she would never see again, someone who had maybe even died. Yet here he is, right in front of her, alive. She has recovered her memories so now when Natsume hugs her again, it’s not out of the blue and she instantly reciprocates.

Insert witty or sappy comment here.

She is then greeted with an onslaught of “What about me?” and “Do you remember me?”, which she answers in the affirmative for all.

This whole scene is pretty rushed and unsatisfying but Mikan has a happy reunion with people she loves and now remembers.

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty

I don’t relish analyzing these chapters because I hate them. There isn’t much to analyze, really, but there is a lot to critique and I don’t like being negative about Gakuen Alice, so I prefer to just ignore these chapters whenever I can. In fact, most of the time I'm able to forget these chapters enough that they don't feel like a part of canon at all to me, giving me the opportunity to consider alternate and better endings. I like very little that is offered here. These chapters just piss me off, and that sucks because I set out on this essay because I knew that the manga has so much to offer in terms of intelligent story-telling and this ending just messes it all up.

It is apparently a miracle that Mikan has managed to regain her memories, even if it’s a small portion of what she’s lost (and that feels pointless too). But Mikan is sure she didn’t cause the miracle, because she heard a voice when she resorbed the alice stone that wished she’d regain her lost memories. That girl’s voice set off a big wave of memory, apparently. So it wasn’t even the alice stone.

Apparently, even though she was surrounded by people she loves, nobody’s voice or appearance unlocked any solid memories, but Hotaru’s disembodied voice does? Now, I don’t like that at all, personally, because to me it seems antithetical to Mikan’s character and undermines the love she has for everyone else, both her romantic love for Natsume and her platonic love for her friends and family. This last chapter irritates me so much, in fact, because it seems to be making the point that Mikan doesn’t just love Hotaru the most, but that she loves her so much more than everyone else, and those kinds of revelations being shared openly in front of everyone else who loves her just rubs me the wrong way and gives me a gross feeling.

I find it hard to picture that Mikan’s love for the others couldn’t even come close. It’s stupid.

I'm so mad. Mikan, didn't Jii-chan teach you any manners? What the actual fuck would make you say something like that in front of all these people who love you? That's so annoying. This chapter is not canon to me, I'm sorry.

She even says she “always loved that person more than others” IN FRONT OF EVERYONE ELSE AROUND HER. All these people who have been missing her and waiting to see her, and she just says “I love someone else way more than y’all!” like it’s no big deal!

And that’s why I dislike the scene in 178, where Mikan talks about her overpowering love for one person. Because to Higuchi, this isn’t an amalgamation love thing, it’s focused solely on Hotaru, implying that sure, maybe Mikan is happy to see all her friends again, but the person she’s cried over and missed for all these years is just Hotaru. It sucks, man.

Mikan was a lonely person before she went to the academy. Sure, she went to chase Hotaru, but there's so many bonds and relationships she built while at that school, with teachers, with classmates, with her upperclassmen, all people who impacted her and changed her and made her better. People she cried about leaving, people she didn't want to forget. People she was willing to lock herself in a labyrinth to save, people she would have put herself in danger for.

This final chapter says those people don't matter. The only person who matters or has ever mattered is Hotaru. It makes me feel gross, because that's not the story we've been reading.

Anyway, they all fill her in and Mikan has to deal with Goshima, who murdered her mom, and we have to watch yet another moment of her blindly forgiving someone because holding grudges is bad! Then again, Mikan apparently doesn’t even remember her parents, so her forgiveness isn’t entirely informed by actual memories or feelings, just the general vibe that Goshima is nice now and shouldn’t feel bad about murder anymore.

You're a creep, Goshima! Who the hell would trust you, that doesn't even make sense! It's not "mercy", it's stupidity. Let him prove himself in some other way, not with the duty of protecting your niece, the daughter of the woman he killed. All of Shi-chan's actions are ten thousand times worse when you keep in mind that was actually a grown man.

“Everyone needs to smile!” and just get over whatever bad stuff happens, I guess. If someone wrongs you, you have to forgive them, or else you’re just being a negative nancy!

SHE EVEN ENDS UP APOLOGIZING TO HIM for not appreciating how much pain HE was in! I HATE THIS ENDING SO FUCKING MUCH.

“Let’s just forget about it!” I hate this ending.

There’s absolutely no attention paid to pain, to suffering, to abuse. There’s no respect given to characters like Natsume who underwent horrific trauma at the hands of abusive teachers, a character who might not feel as inclined to forgive as Mikan is. There’s no appropriate time spent considering these feelings. There's no care here. Instead, Higuchi’s narrative implies that bad things should be forgotten and you should in fact apologize to those who wronged you for not realizing they’re in pain!

(I actually did reference this in ATRAD, so if this seems familiar, that’s why. I put a lot of emphasis on Luna and forgiveness, and Mikan’s feeling as if she should forgive because that’s what she’s supposed to do, and what would bring happiness to everyone else. I specifically talked about it because of how much it bothered me in the manga.

“Well, Luna and I were talking about the past issues here.” Kuonji gestured between the two girls. “Now, Mikan, we all know that what Luna did was horrible. Luna knows better than anyone that it was wrong. She’s talked to me about it and I think it causes her more pain than it does you, knowing that her actions caused you pain.”

“She tried to kill me,” Mikan muttered.

“Now, imagine how she feels, knowing that?” Kuonji said gently. )

I feel no desire to talk about this boring information that gets dumped on us all of a sudden in the last chapter. What’s the point? It’s irrelevant. This is the LAST chapter of Gakuen Alice and it’s used as an information dump to justify the nonsense that’s happening, that undermines everything else. What’s there to analyze?

Whatever.

It's a combination of things. I hate Hotaru's role in this end. I hate Mikan's behavior in this chapter. I hate that nearly every page in this chapter is text heavy and loaded with new information that has no place in a finale. I hate that nothing matters. They all deserved better.

Mikan is reminded of Hotaru’s name and she has a little breakdown trying to get why that name is the only one on her heart (WHAT???), when she meets even more people--including Shiki, and she’s told that Mikan is crucial in the efforts to find this Hotaru person. Mikan is again brought to tears when she hears Hotaru’s voice wishing her a happy birthday, recorded on mushrooms that Ruka has kept all this time.

Mikan is then given a choice: to leave with these people as a quasi-Alice, to help save Hotaru, or to forget everything again and go back to her normal life.

The fact that anybody is concerned about what she’ll choose is fucking stupid.

It’s not even a choice. Obviously we know what she picks.

But her reasoning is for some reason entirely about Hotaru, and saving Hotaru, when all her other friends are standing around her hoping that this isn’t the last time they see her. THIS PISSES ME OFF.

She then meets all her other classmates all at once. Randomly. It’s rushed, it’s not heartfelt. It feels like things are being done just to finish them. The only thing of any value is the memory that Mikan wanted to see the ocean with everyone when things at the Academy become better. And it looks like things are better! So they’re all together at the beach! Yay! I don’t care.

It’s time to go on a trip to save Hotaru! Right away. Like right now. And even though Mikan is reuniting with everyone she’s loved at the Academy, the only one who actually matters is Hotaru for some reason.

I remember looking through the raws of this chapter when it first came out and the empty, stirring feeling in my stomach. The lack of interest I had in anything that was happening visually, the huge bubbles of text, the presence of way too many characters. This should go without saying but I didn't actually read any translation of this ending until years after it came out. I've probably read these final chapters 3-4 times total since they came out. They're just not important to my experience of this story at all.

Do I like Mikan chasing after Hotaru at the end just like she did in the beginning? Hmm. No. I hate it. I hate Hotaru saving Natsume for Mikan’s sake. I hate Hotaru being stuck in time-space. I hate Mikan acting the exact same as she did in the first chapter, as though she didn't grow or change at all, as if all the love she’s gained with other people doesn’t compare at all to her love for Hotaru, downplaying how much everyone else means by a lot. I hate the open-endedness. I hate that none of the reunions hold any weight and none of them make me feel anything, not even the NatsuMikan one.

ME. I don’t feel ANYTHING in these chapters but annoyance. I’m the kind of person who cries just thinking about Pengy or Natsume and Ruka’s backstory. I cry all the time. I cried watching House almost every episode. I cried watching the lamest romcoms known to man. I cry everytime I watch a true crime documentary and everytime a mom says "I'm proud of you" to her kid on TV and everytime I look too long at my cat. I cry about fucking EVERYTHING. And Higuchi didn’t make me feel fucking anything with the finale to her manga.

I’m sick and tired of these chapters. They’re not canon to me. They feel disrespectful to me and annoying and I hate them. I prefer Kageki, or even better--imagining an entirely different ending, particularly because of Mikan. Anyway.

It’s no secret, I think, that I hate the GA finale. I am not a big fan of the way Natsume’s death was resolved, or how Ruka’s arc was left hanging open, or how Hotaru got trapped in space time. I don’t like that everything that happens to Mikan in the end doesn’t even matter, that everything in the ending is pointless and results in no change, no development, no consequence.

I’ve said before that I personally can’t write unhappy endings, but I can sometimes cope with them in other people’s stories if that’s the best resolution for the characters. GA is a strange example of an ending because it wanted to have both a happy and unhappy ending, which just resulted in it being a meh ending at best (and excruciatingly irritating at worst). The ending insults all of Mikan’s non-Hotaru relationships and all the readers who liked them. The reunions are all rushed and thus none of it makes an emotional impact.

The worst part, in my opinion, is that the chapters leading up to this finale (so the last couple dozen) aren’t much better because they lend a hand to this. Character arcs are the most important part of a story’s narrative in a work like this. This manga has been incredibly well-written up to this part, particularly in regards to most of the main four having well-defined arcs. There’s three types of character arcs, I think:

Character evolution would usually refer to any kind of change, but for the sake of clarity, for this, I’ll use it as a positive change. Think of a character who has trust issues. Character evolution would mean that he eventually starts trusting in people. The story would climax with his trust in someone being tested and him choosing to trust anyway. That’s what character-based storytelling is all about, fulfilling someone’s character arc by addressing their faults and obstacles.

I’ll use the term character “devolution” to refer to a character arc where the character has a negative arc progression. Technically, this is character evolution as well, just of the negative variety, but for clarity’s sake I’ll call it devolution or deterioration. Let’s say, there’s a character who just wants to protect her younger sister. Over the course of the narrative, her actions become more and more drastic and she does increasingly atrocious things in the name of protecting her sister until she’s become something akin to a monster, maybe even the story’s villain. A well-written character arc does not have to be focused on positive change.

The last type of character arc would be… none. Some characters are called “static” which means they stay the same throughout the story. The story isn’t circled around testing them or pushing them into developing. Characters like this are more involved in challenging other characters.

I think Hotaru is more or less a static character. She becomes a little more open with her emotions, sure, but the little changes she makes are almost imperceptible on a narrative level. If you look at the individual arcs and think about Hotaru’s actions, she rarely plays an active role. She is usually a catalyst for Mikan’s actions, or a strong supportive role. It’s what her character does best because that’s just what static characters do! I don’t think there’s much wrong with characters like this, and people use “static” as a negative term way too often, but I strongly believe Hotaru would make that same sacrifice for Mikan in chapter one that she makes at the end, which makes the action less potent. Mikan’s desire to be able to sacrifice comes from being inspired by Hotaru’s sacrifice. Hotaru doing what she’s always done as the climactic action in the manga sucks out all the narrative potency from the ending when there’s two characters with unresolved arcs. Hotaru would have worked best in a strong support role here, and I think it would have been more meaningful to have Hotaru chase Mikan rather than the other way around again.

I’ve seen that referred to and praised as some kind of narrative bookend or parallel, but to me it always felt lazy, like there was no real change to Mikan or Hotaru’s characters for all of these almost two hundred chapters. It rubs me the wrong way, and maybe that’s because I’m focusing too much on character arcs and narrative, but hey! That’s what I was trained to look at in college, so I can’t change this about myself.

Exhibit B is Ruka, who I think was pushed to the side unceremoniously and whose arc was completely ignored. Yes, I did mention character devolution. It’s possible that a good arc for Ruka would look like him being faced with the opportunity to save Natsume and, despite his very best efforts, not being able to, or even making things worse inadvertently, suddenly feeling like he’s received proof after all these years that he truly is a burden. That’s a sad arc progression, but it works narratively. It would seem strange in a work like GA, which tries to be positive, but it works. But he didn’t get that. Ruka is too easily escorted from the action, from the climax, entirely sidelined. Ruka’s arc is pretty clear--what his biggest issue is and what he needs to change about himself in order to live a successful life is painted for us from the beginning. He’s not static like Hotaru, especially because his character arc is brought up multiple times in multiple arcs and he makes a little progress each time, as a way to tease a huge event on the horizon where he will be fully confronted with his burden complex. He is not given this opportunity and the spotlight is ceaselessly handed elsewhere, making his character inconsequential when it comes to Natsume’s death. A spit in the face.

The only character whose arc seems perfect to me is Natsume’s, funnily enough, but only to an extent. Natsume dying for love is perfect for him, and I believe that ending his arc any other way wouldn’t be as meaningful to his character. This has been set-up from the beginning, almost as if fate has commanded that he would die no matter what changed in his life. And that’s great because we see him change his perspective from Chapter 16, when he’s happy to kill himself, relieved that his suffering will soon be over, into his eventual death, where he can’t accept that his life is over because he doesn’t want it to be. He does everything he can to save Mikan, but ultimately when death comes for him, he doesn’t really want to go. That’s PERFECT! The thing that ruins it is Hotaru rescuing him for Mikan’s sake. Natsume’s martyr complex throughout the manga reveals to us just how little his existence means to him. He always comes dead last to himself and what he needs is other people choosing him first and making him feel like his life is significant and means something other than what he can do for others. Hotaru saving him puts his actual existence dead last. She doesn’t save him for him, but because of Mikan. Hotaru doesn’t really care about Natsume, so when she saves him, it reinforces the idea that Natsume exists for other people, that all he’s good for is what he can give. The absolute WORST part of that is that Higuchi Tachibana didn’t even think of that. There’s no evidence that this story choice wants to explore what that means for Natsume, how that choice would impact everyone involved. The carelessness and sloppiness is what bothers me here, that Natsume’s nearly perfect arc is tainted by the fumbling effort to put Hotaru in an active role that doesn’t benefit her character arc, that negatively impacts everyone else’s arcs.

And then there’s Mikan… Who I believe was done pretty dirty. Mikan had a clear character devolution. She goes from being a generally upbeat but still emotional girl, capable of sadness and anger and who doesn’t let herself get treated poorly, who generally wants to be useful, to contribute something, to be able to sacrifice things. The sacrifice part got a lot of focus throughout, and whenever she gets the chance, she throws herself at it. The best part is that Mikan doesn’t so much “make the choice” to sacrifice as she feels it’s the only thing she can do. There is no alternative to her because she doesn’t even think of it. It’s only when she’s confronted with Kazumi giving her a choice at the end: save Natsume or keep your alice, that her sacrifice feels like a personal choice rather than an instinctive action on her point. Honestly, Mikan has always been a character motivated to do good, so her arc is less about learning to do good and more about realizing that she does do good already. Additionally, she has the abandoned nullification alice arc, where Mikan feels like her alice is completely useless, like it doesn’t benefit anybody. But there is one thread that has tied to that throughout the manga, from the very first arc, and that’s Natsume. If Natsume was always meant to die, Mikan was always meant to save him. That’s clear from the start, when Narumi says “There might be someone out there in need of your alice” over a panel of Natsume. It was as much a part of implicit destiny as Natsume’s death, as the two of them falling in love. And that was specifically in terms of her silly nullification. Her nullification should have played a role here, and the fact that it didn’t annoys me. I don’t like Mikan having the stealing alice at all, we been knew. It completely dismisses the nullification alice from her storyline for no real narrative reason. Mikan having the stealing alice doesn’t really do much for her character. It acts as a plot lubricant, as a tie to her mom, but for Mikan’s existing arc--nothing.

There’s the fact, too, that Mikan saving Natsume would have communicated to him that his life means something, if only it means he lives. That he doesn’t have to give anything, as long as she can have him breathing. It would have meant so much for both of their character arcs. It would have been the pretty, perfect way to tie it all. I know there’s a lot of focus nowadays on “subversive” story telling, on setting up one story only to turn it over with some contrived plot twist for the sake of shocking the audience. “You thought this would happen, but you’re stupid for thinking so, because this is happening instead!” I think that kind of plot doesn’t act in contribution to character arcs, which is actually the only thing I care about. In a story like GA, character has been central, so it should continue to be. To me, Mikan being unable to save Natsume feels stupid and pointless, not in a “sometimes you fail” kinda way, because Mikan has already been taught that lesson. That would hit harder, maybe, if Natsume did die for real here, if he never came back. It would be sad, but it would be potent and meaningful. Instead, Natsume can be saved, just not by her. She is incapable of doing the one thing she was set up to do from the start. Instead, her role is stolen by Hotaru and the act of saving Natsume is no longer an act of love for him, but an act of love for Mikan, which is just insulting to all the characters involved.

Ultimately, how can this finale make you feel anything if the characters have been abandoned for the sake of a lazy “bookend” of Mikan chasing Hotaru once more? All the arcs were abandoned in favor of servicing a sloppy and rushed ending, where no character gets the attention they deserve. The finale just does what it can with the resolution it’s been presented with, and that’s why it sucks so bad. Three chapters isn’t enough to clean up the mess from the last twenty or so chapters, but it doesn’t even try.

I think the last chapter is the worst chapter in Gakuen Alice, hands down. But it’s only made possible by the subpar story told prior to it, specifically about Natsume’s death, which is the climax of the story. That climax is deceptive too, because you cry so much--about Natsume dying, Mikan leaving, Hotaru sacrificing herself, Ruka being left behind by everyone he knows--that you don’t even notice how bad the writing is! And all the stuff that’s making you cry is cheap character ploys to make you feel in the moment without giving you an actual conclusion. GA isn’t just open-ended because Hotaru is still missing; Mikan, Ruka, and Natsume are still missing character arc closure.

And considering how intelligent the story-telling has been up to now, it feels out of the blue and unfair to have such an awful ending.

What a disappointment.

Palate cleansing NatsuMikan to soothe your soul after you had to read all that nonsense and negativity. Sorry about all that.

Conclusion

Yeah, so like i said: a rant. Tomorrow I'll wrap up all of this with a little touch on Kageki, but there's not much to analyze there because NatsuMikan aren't focal.

I'm sorry if this was very negative. Like I'd mentioned a hundred times already, it's hard for me to be negative about GA. I don't like whining or complaining and staying butthurt about an ending that was published more than ten years ago feels unproductive. If anything, I take it as a learning moment. I use this to teach myself how vital endings are, and how not to do them. I also generally don't think of these chapters at all. I sometimes flat out forget the story ended this way until someone reminds me.

In my head, the character arcs are resolved and Hotaru never got lost to time-space because that's stupid. I have quite a few alternate endings in my head, but I prefer all of them to the one we got.

Thanks for reading, folks! Just one more time and then we can move on with our lives and go back to pretending this manga is perfect.

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#gakuen alice #alice academy #ga #sakura mikan #mikan sakura #natsume hyuuga #hyuuga natsume #my meta #ga meta #ga meta: nm #ga meta: manga #ga meta: manga nm #let's talk about natsumikan #let's talk about natsumikan: mikan #nm: m song of the day is....#idk. lover by taylor swift or smth #tbh i dont think of these chapters with any song bc theyre not on my brain most of the time #but lover IS on our playlist... but for alternate better versions of the ending where natsume (and others) matters to mikan at all

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