#i’m not interested in using DA anymore so i’ll see if i can host the files on my website

[milk-sharks]

heya! I was checking out your base and I think the the stash file's gone qwq

do you have another copy by any chance?

edited because we found out the issue—

i had no idea about this, but it turns out you have to be logged into DA to download the individual files! HOWEVER, you can download the big zip file without logging in :D

[mattiander]

Jiang Cheng / Nie Mingjue fakedating

modern au where jiang cheng needs a date to a wedding he doesn’t even want to go to and nie mingjue is a sucker for his little brother. i don’t even know.

In hindsight, Jiang Cheng would blame everything on Nie Huisang because of course, who else would he blame this on? 

It wasn’t his fault that he’s still trying desperately for his parents approval, it’s not his fault that when his father talks approvingly about how Wei Wuxian is coming back from his travels and is bringing Lan Wangji, and then his mother turns on him and pointedly asks him about who he’s bringing to Jin Zixun’s wedding that Jiang Cheng states quickly ‘I have a boyfriend too. He’s coming.’ Because of course, he loves Wei Wuxian like his own brother but he doesn’t want to forever remain under his shadow.

And when his mother actually smiles at him, he doesn’t want to take back the lie.

So two weeks before Jin Zixun’s wedding, he’s sitting at his desk at work thinking Shit. And because misery loves company, he goes drinking with Nie Huisang who visibly brightens at this idea, and offers to get him a fake boyfriend.

And Jiang Cheng, drunk and miserable and wishing that he had maybe been open to the idea of romance at some point in his life, agrees. What else does he have to lose?

When Nie Huisang texts him two days later with a barrage of texts, exclamation marks and emojis about ‘i have someone for you to take!!!! call me! when do you finish work???? can you meet us after????’ Jiang Cheng almost has a panic attack out of sheer embarrassment.

When he goes to the restaurant and sees Nie Huisang sitting at a booth with Nie Mingjue next to him, face blank and bored, Jiang Cheng almost has another panic attack out of pure humiliation. He wants to turn right back around and hide in his home until all of this goes away but - Nie Huisang has already seen him and is waving at him. 

Jiang Cheng has a lot of flaws but cowardice has never been one of them, so he walks up and slides into the chair with as much grace as he can manage. (It’s not enough).

Nie Huisang doesn’t even give him a chance to speak before he’s speaking a mile a minute, locking his arm around Nie Mingjue’s. “-and I know da-ge was going to the wedding anyway, so it’s not like you need a extra invite for him and he was going to be so bored because Xichen-ge can’t make it and I thought this is perfect! Isn’t it perfect, da-ge?”

Jiang Cheng can barely even get himself to look at Nie Mingjue but he hears him make a non-commital grunt.

“Isn’t this great? Of course, we have to come up with a story of how you guys started dating and why you hid it but this is so fun!”

Nie Huisang’s in one of his excited moods where nobody can get a word in edgewise. Jiang Cheng fiddles with the glass, his hands, anything to keep himself from looking at Nie Mingjue. 

“- and let me just go to the bathroom, I’ll be right back. Da-ge, order for me, please!” Nie Huisang says before bustling out of the booth

“Why are you even helping me?” Jiang Cheng asks because he has to know - people don’t just help him or make his life easier without some other hidden reason.

Nie Mingjue just shrugs, “I owed A-Sang a favour. I also just don’t want to be there so decent company helps.”

Which - it makes sense. It makes sense but Jiang Cheng has to tamper down the little thrill that tries to unfurl itself at the idea that he’s not bad company. He may not be great company but at least he’s not scraping rock bottom in Nie Mingjue’s eyes.

(So, he may still not be over his apparent schoolboy crush on Nie Huisang’s cool older brother. He was 15 when he had a spiritual awakening when he was at their house after school and Nie Mingjue had walked past him without a shirt and that - that had been an interesting revelation.

Being Nie Huisang’s friend means that Jiang Cheng’s life has circled around Nie Mingjue’s - they had sat next to each other at Nie Huisang’s graduation, ignoring Wei Wuxian loudly whooping next to them. When Nie Huisang had drunk called Jiang Cheng at 3am crying and asking to be picked up and Jiang Cheng went to the bar, it was mere seconds after Nie Mingjue, who nodded at Jiang Cheng and muttered ‘thanks and sorry’ while hauling his brother to the car. When Jiang Cheng moved and it turned out that Nie Mingjue went to the gym near his house and had offered to spot him, he had accepted and very carefully not looked too long at Nie Mingjue’s arms and broad shoulders and thighs.

So. He may not be over that crush yet.

He figures he’s always been stupidly loyal about things, why would this be any different?)

“You know you don’t have to do this? It was just a stupid statement - it’s not like anyone’s going to hold me to it,” Jiang Cheng offers. He knows he’s not the most social or charming and he can barely handle himself, let alone asking someone like Nie Mingjue to tolerate that.

Nie Mingjue just snorts. “I know your mother. She’s going to hold you to that.”

Which...is true. Shit.

“It’s fine. A-Sang owes me a favour from this. I might convince him to actually get a real job after all of this,” Nie Mingjue states, and then something like a grin curves at the edges of his mouth. “Really - I’d rather talk to you than have to put up with anymore of those Jin assholes. I’m only going because I’m expected to”

Which makes sense but before Jiang Cheng can think of anything witty or funny or remotely decent to say, Nie Huisang’s back and taking a seat.

“We have to come up with a story, so how about this-”

-

And that’s how Jiang Cheng is standing at his parent’s door with Nie Mingjue just behind him. It’s a family dinner, mere days before the wedding and his mother had insisted that she bring his mystery boyfriend around, to get to know him. It’s his parents and A-Jie and her husband and it should be fine, easy, they’ve rehearsed this story with Nie Huisang and how they should address each other but -

He cannot knock on the door because they’ll know. No matter what he’s done, whenever his parents look at him, he feels guilt and shame and the deep sense of lacking well up in him and they’ll look at him and they’ll know that he’s lying and he’s so useless he can’t even get a single person outside his family who will willingly spend more than 10 minutes in his presence and then there’ll be the comparisons to Wei Wuxian and his perfect fucking boyfriend and A-Jie and her fucking peacock and -

“Breathe,” says Nie Mingjue’s voice behind him, soft and deep. Jiang Cheng wasn’t aware he was so close and that is distracting enough to stop him from his train of thoughts (also distracting enough that he forgets to breathe for a second but he puts that aside to deal with it at a later time.)

“They’re going to figure it out,” he says quietly, staring at the doorbell. 

“Not if we do what we said we were going to, A-Cheng,” Nie Mingjue says and then he rings the doorbell.

Jiang Cheng takes several quick breaths and digs his nails into his palms. He’s not a coward.

When A-Jie opens the door and she almost softens and smiles brightly at both him and Nie Mingjue, he thinks it might be okay. It could be okay. 

“Nie Mingjue, I didn’t expect to see you here,” she says, her voice soft and gentle. “I hadn’t - Jiang Cheng is always so private about his happiness that I had no idea!”

And that’s A-Jie down, which is good. He can do this.

They follow her to the dining room where his parents are talking to Jin Zixuan and the conversation screeches to a grinding halt when they spot Nie Mingjue. The peacock looks like he’s choked on his own tongue and that gives Jiang Cheng at least a little bit of joy.

“Nie Mingjue?” his father says. “What are you doing here?”

“Jiang Cheng wanted me to meet his family formally - I apologise for the time it took for me to do this,” Nie Mingjue says, half-bowing gracefully. Jiang Cheng would like to look at him but his eyes are focused upon his parents, who seem to have been frozen in shock.

“A-Cheng?” his father says, mildly, after a beat too long. “We hadn’t known. You’re welcome to our home, please sit.”

Jiang Cheng’s hands are not shaking. He sits heavily on the closest chair, only half-aware of Nie Mingjue sitting beside him.

And - it’s fine. His parents are polite and A-Jie is always so kind and friendly and even the peacock tries his best to hold a conversation. Nie Mingjue is more than fine, he speaks confidently and even gets his father to laugh at a story.

It’s all fine, until his mother tilts his head and says, “How did you - this - how did this happen?”

And they have practiced and Jiang Cheng may not be naturally talented but he’s good with practice so he speaks up - “We were at a dinner party Nie Huisang was hosting and started talking and - well. We like each other.”

His face flushes as he says it. He deliberately doesn’t look at Nie Mingjue or his parents, and instead looks at A-Jie. She smiles at him sweetly.

“That’s hardly the details,” his father says. “There must be more to it? I know our A-Cheng isn’t very good in those situations.”

Which is correct. He’s not but he doesn’t appreciate his father saying it out loud in company. And it’s not like he’s any worse than others, like Jin Zixuan or even Lan Wangji. His ears heat with the embarrassment and he’s ready to speak, eyes still fixed on A-Jie when-

“I’ve liked A-Cheng for a while. It was very nice of him to give me a chance,” Nie Mingjue says. “I think things happened at the right time for us.”

“Surely, you don’t think you’re suited to each other?” his father says and - oh. It had been going too well, of course he should have expected this.

“You’re very different from each other,” his father continues. “Do you think this will last?”

Oh. 

Jiang Cheng swallows down the humiliation and the hollow feeling in his gut, finally looking at his father. He opens his mouth but once again, Nie Mingjue is answering for him. “As much as anyone knows they will last. I like A-Cheng a lot - is that not enough for now?” Nie Mingjue even reaches and squeezes Jiang Cheng’s hand under the table.

(Jiang Cheng is not going to combust. He’s not.)

His father blanches and Jin Zixuan, who occasionally has moments where Jiang Cheng can understand why A-Jie tolerates him, asks how they plan on getting to the wedding.

Nie Mingjue keeps his hand on Jiang Cheng’s for a few moments longer before he lets go.

-

“I,” Nie Mingjue says softly when they’re in the elevator, “do not like your parents.”

Jiang Cheng snorts. “They’re fine, they’re just. Expressive. About their opinions.”

“Don’t defend them. Who even talks like that?”

While the idea of Nie Mingjue defending his honor stirs up something small in him that he can't name, he can’t let this go further. Logically, he knows his parents haven’t necessarily been what he’s needed growing up but he’s an adult now, with a job and his own apartment and a life outside of his parent’s expectations and requirements. He’s doing fine. He will be fine. “They’re my parents. They want what’s best for me.”

Nie Mingjue glowers at him, his voice low and mutinous. “Wrong is wrong, Jiang Wanyin.”

Annoyance flares in his gut. “Don’t.”

Nie Mingjue actually rolls his eyes. “At least the actual wedding weekend will be easier. And there’ll be alcohol.”

Jiang Cheng is used to his parent’s disapproval and disappointment. He’s not ready for Nie Mingjue’s on top of that, especially not when he’s been so nice and not even made fun of him once for this stupid lie that is his life. He feels bad and he hyper focuses on his guilt, as he always does. “You don’t - you know you don’t have to do this, still? We can just pretend we broke up now -”

“I am not a quitter.”

And that is the end of that conversation. They’re silent for the rest of the elevator ride.

---

i’m just a big fan of jiang cheng.

[shrinkthisviolet]

Author Interview Tag!

Tagged by @maipreciation, thanks for thinking of me! This looks really fun :D

(Note: I’m keeping this as a running list, so if you’re ever wondering what fics im working on/brainstorming, make sure to check here! Last update was on 12/12/2020)

Name: Lavi! As of 12/5, I’m no longer going by my real name (see this post)

Fandoms: so many 😂 check my bio, I think I have them all listed. I’ve posted fic for Hamilton and ATLA, and then there was a huge Inktober compilation I posted last year with a whole host of fandoms. Currently, my major fandom is ATLA, and probably Kipo as I’m starting to move through S1

Where you post: I have an AO3 (lavi0123)! I used to have an FFN and a Wattpad, but I don’t use either of those anymore :/ tbh, I’m embarrassed of anything I still have up there 😂

Most popular one-shot: Most definitely we’ll give the world to you (and you’ll blow us all away), one of my contributions to Maiko Week! I’m not surprised it’s an ATLA fic, but I find it interesting that a fic with Izumi in it blew up so quickly. But hey, if y’all want more Izumi content, you won’t be disappointed 😉

Most popular multi-chapter fic: ...I’m really embarrassed to say because I don’t think I’ll ever finish it...but En Hamilton Heights is the only multichap fic I’ve published so it’s gotta be that one 😂 hopefully soon I’ll have another fic to add to that, since I’m working on one (sorry EHH fans but it’s been too long and tbh I don’t remember where I was going with it :/ I’m thinking I might orphan it)

Favorite story you’ve written so far: you think this world is a dream come true (but you’re wrong) for sure! It’s super niche but it’s something I wrote out of love for a movie I discovered this Halloween and absolutely love. Though all you’ve got to do is want something (and then let yourself have it) is a close second. Basically, anything I write that sounds absolutely bonkers as a concept is one that I love 😂 (and it’s no coincidence that both fics are Mai-centric! I love all my Mai-centric fics nearly equally)

Fic you were nervous to post: Is there an “all of the above” option? 😂 I’m always nervous to post. But in particular, I was nervous for if you ran away (come back home), because it was Mai-centric and longer than any one-shot I’d written thus far, and also you think this world is a dream come true (but you’re wrong), because it’s Mai-centric and a Coraline AU, which makes it BONKERS as an idea

Why was I nervous to post Mai-centric fics, you ask? Two reasons: 1) Mai is very different from who I am as a person (I vibe a lot more with Aang and Ty Lee, sometimes Katara and Sokka), so I didn’t want to upset the Mai stans by writing her incorrectly. 2) Mai is generally not well-liked in the fandom at large, so I especially didn’t want to attract antis who would accuse me of writing Mai as too emotional and loving (which is why I tried to justify that in my tags). Luckily, my comments have all been lovely, and I’m far less afraid to post fics about her now that I’ve written three fics with her as the focus! And the shoutout from @nonbinary-crafter-aang praising my portrayal of her?? I was touched 🥺 still am

How you choose your titles: Song lyrics or movie/book lines that speak to me, occasionally a pun. Remember that post I rb’d about how authors title their works? My tags pretty much say it all 😂

Do you outline: Ehh...define outlining 😂 for my one-shots, nope. But for my upcoming multichap works (see below) and Nanowrimo work (original fiction, so I won’t talk about it on here, but send an ask if you’re curious), YES ABSOLUTELY!

For my Nanowrimo work and one of my upcoming AUs (a Soulmate AU), the worldbuilding is so complex that it’s an absolute necessity. For the other upcoming AU (a time travel AU), there are just too many things that need to happen at certain times so as not to interfere with canon events, and things I want to change from canon and things I want to keep...I think you get the idea 😂

Complete: Basically my entire maiko halloweek series! Check it out if you want some fics about the most underrated canon ATLA couple :)

In-progress: ...En Hamilton Heights again...but not for long, sadly. Still trying to decide between a quick conclusion and just flat-out orphaning it. Still haven’t made up my mind, but either way, it won’t be what I originally planned, unfortunately.

I’m also counting my ATLA Soulmate AU on the basis of forever in my mind (only you), which has the worldbuilding and fits into the AU without much problem (the AU is going to be a series of one-shots, not a multichap fic, because there won’t be enough deviations from canon imo to justify multiple chapters. And one-shots are just less pressure for me 😂)

[EDIT 12/12/2020: added another fic because I’m an idiot and forgot about this too 🤦‍♀️😂 it’s a year-old idea that I started writing but I’m picking it back up thanks to the Heist banter in MatPat’s St Jude stream!]

-A fic series combining Escape the Night and Who Killed Markiplier (Heist and Date are part of it too, but only tangentially at the moment. Depends on how involved I want DA Y/N to be). Tentatively titled A Heavy Cost, and definitely won’t happen in any of Mark’s projects, but in a way that’s actually for the best 😂 the canonicity for me stops at ETN S3 (with some S4), then it’s canon divergence

Coming soon/not yet started: OOOH YESSS HERE WE GO

Okay okay sooo we’ve got two main things:

–An ATLA Soulmate AU, featuring platonic and romantic soulmates! I know I called it in-progress, and I stand by that even though I haven’t actually set up the series on AO3 yet, but this AU is about to be SO MUCH MORE than just a few Maiko moments. Because...drum roll...it’s gonna be entirely Aang-centric (with maybe one or two exceptions)! Like Mai, Aang is a character that doesn’t get as many -centric fics as he should (and being an Aang stan also isn’t unanimous for some reason??), so I’m gonna fix that. Plus I want to dive further into his mind, and I think I’m more equipped to do that than I was with Mai, since Aang and I are very similar in attitude.

–Bumizumi time travel AU, which can be read as platonic until the last couple chapters (it’ll be multichap) but definitely has a romantic agenda throughout. So just. Be warned if you don’t ship them. It’s gonna be chock full of comedy and antics! Also A LOT of platonic affection between Izumi and teen Zuko (and just between Izumi, Bumi, and the Gaang in general), because platonic affection is underrated and also I can :D I’m also probably gonna make fun of how some elements of affection have become solely romantic territory, because...um, no, hugging and holding hands and cuddling can be done between friends, thanks! (Maybe it’s the ace in me talking. But regardless)

There are also vague concepts I’m spitballing, like:

-Zukaang telepathy AU (Platonic Zukaang, the only romance I’ll ever write in ATLA is for the canon ships, prompted by a dream because apparently ATLA lives in my head rent-free forever now 😂)

-Evil Zuko AU (Azula doesn’t exist, mostly prompted after watching Aang make fun of Zhao and realizing that if Zuko had been in any position of power during the War...the Gaang would have stood no chance at all)

-Bumizumi Arranged Marriage AU (Bumi and Izumi both think the other is hotheaded/reckless (Izumi @ Bumi) or uptight (Bumi @ Izumi). So Kataang and Maiko (along with Sukka, Ty Lee, and Toph because...duh) set them up in an arranged marriage, with the presented reasoning being that they already know each other’s families, it’ll be a great symbol of unity, and this way Izumi doesn’t have to worry about suitors. They both agree to it (it’s arranged, not forced), and over time, they warm up to each other...and maybe even...fall in love?? Prompted because we need more arranged marriage fics! On that note, I’m gonna plug shadows and steel by @dearestpartnerofgreatness because arranged marriage needs more rep and this fic does it and with Maiko to boot!)

-Zukaang as Brothers AU (I saw a fic about this, but it wasn’t complete. If it’s not done by the time I get to this concept, I’m gonna write it, because just...imagine the possibilities! Zuko and Aang are already basically brothers in canon anyway, this is just making them brothers in blood as well as in their hearts. This is especially vague because I have no concept of how this is gonna work 🤷‍♀️ I’ll get to it eventually)

(Can you tell I’m obsessed with Zuko and Aang’s friendship? Because I am!)

[EDIT 11/25/2020: I’m adding two more because I forgot these have been swirling around in my head too 😂]

-A fix-it fic based on May You Always Be Satisfied, a backstory fic for Who Killed Markiplier by @blackaquokat! I recently reread it and remembered that I was gonna write a fix-it for that fic. Not because the fic sucks, it’s actually amazing! I’m just a sucker for the main (requited unrequited) pairing, and there’s at least five ways to make that pairing canon and avoid the mess of Who Killed Markiplier. And THEY ALL DESERVE TO BE HAPPY OKAY

-A Finnrey fix-it for the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy (this one is especially vague, and I probably won’t write it since a bunch of these already exist, but it’s fun to think about. Maybe if I ever run out of WIPs 🤷‍♀️)

Upcoming story that you’re most excited to write: I’m equally excited for the Soulmate AU and the Bumizumi Time Travel AU! I’m also excited for my Nanowrimo work to be finished, but that’s more so in-progress than upcoming

Tagging:

@nonbinary-crafter-aang @dearestpartnerofgreatness @ohsalamanders @blackaquokat (no pressure ofc, only if you want to! But please tag me if you do, I’d love to see it!)

[lunadensmidnightprowl]

Let Trouble Lie - CH 2

𝕚 𝐃Ø��'ⓣ   ςＡ𝐫€   𝐖𝕙αⓉ   ЎσǗ   Ŝᗩㄚ  ᗩภⓨ𝕄ｏ𝕣є   𝕋Ｈ𝐈s  𝒾Ｓ  爪Ў  𝐋ᶤ𝔽𝕖

✣●✣

My name is Mikaela, Mikaela Misjinx.  And yes, if you've figured it out by now, I am also Thinaire.  It sounds cool right?  Being able to turn invisible at the drop of a hat?  Well, it's not.  I'm cursed.

Maybe it would make more sense if I start from the beginning...

My family was small, just me, my mother, and my father, living on the outskirts of the city, doing anything we could to survive.  Sure, things were pretty bad now that I reflect on it, but it was happy.  I was 7 years old when the incident happened, a day were I was just grumpy and angry with everything, recently ticked off because it started to feel like my parents were smothering me.  Taking a walk by myself, I met a creepy old man coming out of woods, asking what I wanted the most, and what did I tell him?  I wished that I could become invisible.

That man was gone by the time I turned back and it seemed like the encounter never happened, so I went on back to where my family was camping for the night.  Only when I got there, calling out to my parents, they didn't respond.  Inside our little shelter lay their bodies, as if someone had just sucked their very souls from them.  "Maybe it's all a joke?" I had thought.  Begging and pleading for them to get up and talk to me, they never did because there was no pulse, they were dead.

At that moment I was so distraught that I hoped I would vanish right there, and I did.  I felt that something was different before I saw it.  Raising my hand to wave in front of my face, I saw nothing there but felt the air shift.  The rest of my body was the same, sightless but still retaining feeling.  I scuffled my feet, trying to raise dust and move the dirt, it worked, I was only invisible it seemed.

That was not what I meant!  I didn't actually want to be invisible!  Just for my parents to lay off the extra attention and let me live the most of my life.  At that moment, I wished hard to be seen again, that I wouldn't be invisible anymore.  That same weird feeling happened again, when I opened my eyes I was back to being visible.

"This is trippy," my mind said.  Once more I wished to be invisible, not even bothering to close my eyes this time as I watched myself fade away.  On and off I went, flipping like a lightswitch as I went between being seen and not.  It was all too weird, too specific, something like this didn't just happen, there was always a cause.

For awhile I thought, trying to figure out how I had gained such an ability not long after my parents had died.  What drew my attention was my encounter with that weird old man, he had asked what I wished for, then not much later it had happened.  But it wasn't really lucky that it did, there was a consequence, the death of two people had resulted from that wish.  It all clicked together.  When I had made it, my parents had become some sort of a sacrifice for the ability, it wasn't a free wish, it was more of a curse brought onto myself.

I had to live with the knowledge that I had killed my parents, though unintentionally so I wasn't all to blame, if anything it had been that man.  The curse hung over me, sobering me up so I could prepare to take care of myself.

For the next several years of my life after that one day when I was that 7 year old girl, I resulted to stealing just to stay alive.  Robbing places during akuma attacks when they started happening frequently brought in enough income to get me a more permanent shelter and food enough to live.  I never took more than what I needed and just a little extra to keep for longer stretches between attacks, trying to keep things as painless as possible for the store owners.

Lenny, or as I had called him when I was younger, Mr. Money Man was my pawn shop guy, never questioning how I acquired things and just handed over a reasonable amount of money for whatever I brought.  He knew I was Thinaire, but never sold me out, he knew what I was going through and decided to not give me anymore trouble.  Lenny was the closest thing to being my family.

Now having Ladybug and Chat Noir on my trail was not good, but I had to keep going.  If I didn't pilfer when I got the opportunity, things would go downhill fast for me.  I didn't bring in enough to buy a phone, or any other device, so I sometimes used the public computers in the library to check for news, especially when it came to me.

Apparently the hero duo had made an announcement over the website, the Ladyblog, that they were working on something else besides fighting the akumas.  They said that there was a thief, some kind of burglar, that went by the name of Thinaire and was seen only during akuma attacks.  If anyone knew anything about Thinaire, motive, location, anything at all, were advised to set up a meeting with the bug and cat through the Ladyblog.

There were many comments on that announcement, most of them were theories and rumors about Thinaire, some simply outlandish.  One said they was working for Hawk Moth based on their appearances, another said they were positive that Thinaire lived in the sewers.

I huffed at all of them, not one was remotely true in the slightest.

✣●✣

"Ya better be careful hun," Lenny murmured to me when it was just us left in the pawn shop, "If ya not, dem heroes are gonna catch ya."

"Believe me, I'm trying," I muttered back, heaving the rest of the load of stolen jewelry from the recent akuma onto the counter.

"Start trying harder, dat one little mistake gotcha name all over da net.  People are and will be scouting for ya all da time during attacks," Lenny held up one of the bracelets, eyeing it with his little magnifying glass.  "Well ain't this one just a beaut, surprised they made it so easy for ya to get it."

I rolled my eyes, "None of it's easy to get these days."

He shook his head, "Miky, ya just got to power through all dis media stuff, lay low and people'll forgetta boutchu.  Maybe lay off da next attack?"

Pressing my hands flat against the glass countertop I leaned forward, almost growling, "I can't damn well do that, now can I?  You of all people should know that."

"It was just a suggestion," Lenny said, inspecting the next piece, "Keep going out when people are hunting you is risky is what I'm saying.

Sighing, I leaned up against the countertop, occasionally looking at the items on display under the glass.  "I'll take my chances.  Pretty much the least I can do after that incident."

The man nodded in silent understanding, not wanting the emotional outlash if he mentioned anything specific about that incident.  He just went about his business in silence, moving quickly so I could go home.

"Here ya are," he slid the stack of bills across the counter to me, putting away the jewelry, "Take care of ya self Mikaela.  No doubt I'll be seeing ya soon."

"Thanks Lenny," I said, a small smile on my face, "You probably will."  With the money in the backpack hanging from my shoulders, I stepped out of the pawn shop into the cool night air, walking down the sidewalk back to my small place.

✣●✣

There's only so much I can afford with what I do, therefore my apartment was really small, on the edge of a somewhat good neighborhood and a somewhat dingy one.  You had to be careful in the area at night, always alert for someone intent on causing harm, but I didn't worry.  I knew I was light on my feet and evasive, able to escape almost anybody's clutches if it came to it.

I went up the steps at the front of the apartment building and down the hall to the left of the lobby.  Tarnished metal letters and numbers for apartment 2D were nailed to the door above the peephole, the plain white door hosting several scuff marks.  Putting my key in the lock, I opened the door and walked into the room with green threadbare carpet, being greeted by my cat.

The building had no rules against pets, the owners didn't seem to care as long as the rent was paid on time, so I had adopted the stray I found a year ago.  It was a ginger she cat with ice blue eyes, I had named her Clover, hoping she would some luck to my name.  Clover was always there for me when I needed her, it seemed like she had a sixth sense for it, becoming the fluffy purring machine that really helped.

Most of my days were just me and Clover, sometimes we went outside when the sun was shining, but most of the time we stayed inside, trying not to be bored to death.  That plethora of free time did give me time to train my cat, making sure she knew what she should do in certain situations.  If I told her to go home, she came back to wait in a hidden spot near the apartment until I came back.

Then there were times when Clover just stayed home and I went outside by myself, when attacks happened, the akumas could be dangerous and I didn't want to get her mixed up in that if I didn't have to.  Once the heroes started coming after me, the ginger cat stayed home at every attack, I just couldn't worry about her when I was trying to get away from them.  Now that citizens were looking out for me too, I couldn't have them connect Mikaela and Thinaire through Clover either.

But avoiding people for the most part was the most effective at keeping my identity secret, I wasn't interested in the public, and for the most part the public wasn't interested in me.  Like Lenny said, each passing day without an appearance of Thinaire lowered the interest in the character, people not being on as high of an alert.  Whether or not that was happening, an akuma attack in the future was inevitable.

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: Love, Maybe? {27}

Chris Evans X Reader OFC Vixen Giovanni

Warning: Cursing, Plot, Slow, Smoldering, Torturous Burn 😊

Word Count: 5K

Summary: After a night of drunkenness you wake up next to warm, hot as hell body, a migraine and no memory of the night before. When you come to realize that the hot body belongs to none other than Hollywood’s golden boy Chris Evans you freak out. As events unfold you become even more panicked to find out you got married in your drunken haze. What else is there to do but get it annulled, right? Before walking away, you share one more night of molten kisses and passion. Three years later you are still living with the repercussions of your brash decisions, but the surprises don’t stop there. The past has a way of coming back and have you questioning is this fate that you’ve been running from, hell could it have been love, maybe?

Note: Italic texts is an inner Vixen thought. Bold Italic texts is an inner Chris thought.

**Slightly Edited/Proofread**

***Interactive**

Thank you guys for reading!!!! If you enjoyed this please LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG. 😊 ❤️  ❤️ ❤️

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Chapter 27: Boston Bound

  -One Week Later-

  You should have said no. You should have said it was way too soon for this and not felt guilty that you’d had her all to yourself for two years. You should have been selfish. If you had, then you wouldn’t be here right now; in a private jet with your parents, Nexus, Chris, Dodger, and Ella more than halfway to Boston. You certainly wouldn’t be nervous enough to shit bricks. You wouldn’t have all these thoughts and worries about what it would be like coming face to face with Chris’ family. You would be chilling in LA, or San Fran for your little girls’ birthday party.  

  “You just had to be the bigger person, huh. Had to give in to that need to make up for your actions. Uuugh, damn dummy!”

  You closed your eyes and tried to push away the voice—your voice in your head.

  “I can survive a week in Boston. I survived doing all this on my own. I survived being a new mother and opening a restaurant for the first time. I survived pregnancy while going to culinary school and working full time. I am a badass; I can survive this.”

  “How you holding up?”

  “I can survive!” Everyone in the cabin looked at you as if you were crazy. Nexus snorted as she sat across from you.

  “Relax, it’s no big deal, Vix.” You rolled your eyes.

“Nex, I am meeting his family. He’s told them about me, told them who I am and what I did.”

  “So? If he’s not trippin’ about it anymore, why should they? If he's moved on and forgiven you, why should they hold a grudge?” She had a point, but for some reason, you couldn��t get past the possibility that they would hate you.

  “They are going to love you. As sick as it is, you are beyond lovable Vix. Just own what you did, let it be known you regret it and want to move forward for the best interest of Ella. If they can’t do that, then you know they aren’t thinking about Ella or Chris.” You took a deep breath and slowly released it. “I just took a DNA test--.” Nexus began, you snorted and looked around to make sure no one was watching.

  “Turns out, I’m a hundred percent that--.”

  “Language you two.” You and Nexus giggled together, and when you looked over, Chris was watching you with a content smile on his face.

  ~~~~~~

  Once you landed, everyone quickly piled into the truck, then Chris got in the driver’s seat. You weren’t surprised really you’d seen him drive before. He tipped his hat lower and looked at you. “Ready?” You nodded because words failed you, he looked so damn good. When he smiled, the butterflies in your belly took off. Quickly you looked away and tried to get a grip.

  “You can’t lose your shit now, you still have seven more days,” you whined.

  The drive was a nice one. After fifteen minutes of going through the city, Chris pointed out every sight to everyone in the car. You could tell he was a proud Bostonian; it was cute. When he passed Dodger stadium Chris pointed it out, and Ella shouted out “doder,” which made Dodger bark up a storm. Everyone laughed like it was the cutest thing in the world. It felt almost normal, and again that scared you.

  When he left the city, you fell silent and got lost in your own thoughts while everyone else fell into conversation.

  “You are never quiet pumpernickel. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, I’m fine. Maybe just jet-lagged,” you lied. Chris studied you for a moment before his eyes went back to the road. When everyone else fell back into their conversation he spoke.

  “If you’re feeling up to it later, there’s something I wanna show you.”

  “Something like what?” Chris smiled again, and again your belly fluttered.

  “For me to know and you to find out. Honestly, where’s your sense of adventure? I remember you used to have a huge one.” You smirked.

  “I remember you being at the top of Vegas’s version of the Eiffel tower, and you stripped right there.” You gasped loudly and covered your mouth. You couldn’t believe he just said that. You looked around to see if anyone heard him but saw no one was focused on you at all. Chris snorted and laughed just as you released yours.

  “Oh my god, how do you remember that?”

  “I told you, I’m an actor. I have a great memory.” You smiled and looked out the window again completely mortified. He probably remembered exactly what you look like naked ad remembered just what you did to each other at the top of that fake Eiffel tower. That thought sent a blazing heat down your spine. You remembered what he looked like too, you remembered very well.

  “So?” You smiled to yourself and decided just to do it.

  “Okay.” Chris smiled as if he’d won some type of award then looked back to the road, repeating the same word you just said. You smiled to yourself and watched the views of trees pass you by.

  Another fifteen minutes passed, and Chris was pulling into a long driveway that led to a house that looked like it was on a hill. It was at this moment you began to regret letting him convince you to stay at his place rather than a hotel. Everyone petitioned that it would be a better way for him and Ella to spend even more time together. You felt if you would have declined you would have come off as a bitch. So, again, you caved.

“Wow, this is so great. This is yours, Chris?”

  “Yes. I come out here every chance I get when I’m not working.”

  “Do your parents live close?”

  “Well, they each live about twenty-five or thirty minutes away. I have a closer place that is in the city, but I thought this would be a more low key place for the princess’ birthday party.”

  You remained silent, a little amazed how normal it all sounded. It was as if three years hadn’t passed, and he’d been in her life all along. You wondered if it should have felt that natural. Shouldn’t there have been some—adjustment time, some form of awkwardness? Your family got out the car and looked around the front lawn. It was a beautiful property, and it looked well maintained. As they talked amongst themselves you walked to the back and took Ella out her car seat. Once out she planted a big wet kiss on your cheek.

  “Thank you, baby.”

  “My mama.” You smiled and kissed her all over her face. She erupted in giggles as she wiggled in her seat. Once you lifted her into your arms you turned to see Chris watching on with a soft smile on his lips. “Da-da.” His smile widened as he approached. He bent and kissed her on the forehead as you watched. Ella touched your cheek with one hand and Chris’ with her other. “Mama. Da-da.” You peeped up at Chris, who in turn did the same to you. For a few moments, the three of you stood there, no speaking just—being. You were the one to step away first.

  “I’ll show you guys around and come back for the bags,” Chris informed.

  The six of you and Dodger walked inside where Chris gave the tour of his traditional style farmhouse. It wasn’t exorbitantly decorated or even disgustingly pretentious. It was tastefully done, and it looked like it fit his personality. It looked like he could host dinner parties one night with his Hollywood friends, but the next night chill on the couch in front of the fireplace and drink a beer. It screamed him. One by one, he showed each of the members of your family their rooms until it left just you and Ella.

  “So, for you princess, I have a surprise.”

  “Prise, prise, I wuve prise. Eye-cweam?”

  Chris snorted and shook his head. “No, not ice cream.”

  “Pony.” You pinched your lips. She’d been trying to swindle a pony from you since the day she learned the word. Chris looked at you confused.

  “She wants a pony?”

  “What little girl doesn’t?” He smiled.

  “Uh—no princess, not a pony.” The three of you came to a stop in front of a closed door.

  “Mama told me how much you love unicorns, and mermaids--.” Chris began. Ella enthusiastically nodded her head, clearly excited for whatever his surprise was.

  “So, here we go.” Chris opened the door and revealed the girliest, most unicorn and mermaid filled room you’d ever seen. Ella’s face lit up, and she squealed with glee as she wriggled free from your arms. Placing her on the floor, she bounced around the room from item to item.

  “Oonicwon, mowmaid, oonicwon, mowmaid, pink!” Everything she touched, she squealed. You stood in the doorway, just looking around at all the effort he’d put into things. The walls were a pinkish, light orangish sherbert mesh. It reminded you of the softest sunset. It was a beautiful color. On one wall her name was written in cursive letters with a dainty crown right above it. You gulped down the emotion threatening to bubble over.

  “Schwing.” You looked back to her as she climbed into the swing that was off to the side of the room hanging from the ceiling. She tried to push herself and grunted when she couldn’t get as high as she wanted. As quickly as she got on she jumped off and bounded to the unicorn teepee that was set in a corner next to a beautiful window. The room was fit for a princess and absolutely breathtaking. Looking at Ella you knew she loved it. When you looked to Chris he was watching her with the biggest smile on his face.

  Ella ran to you and crashed into your legs. “Mama, ooo see?” You nodded.

  “Yes, my love, I see. It’s amazing.”

  “Mazing,” Ella repeated. You bent down to her and whispered in her ear. She smiled and ran across to Chris and crashed into his legs.

  “Uuugh, you’re going to take me down one of these days.” He lifted her into his arms just as she threw her tiny ones around his neck.

  “Ank oo.”

  “You’re welcome, princess. Do you like it?” She nodded her head while still holding him close. It melted you. Chris looked to you, and the look on his face made yet another Teflon layer of your wall crumble.

  “God damn it!”

  Ella wiggled her way free to the floor and ran out of the room and down the hall, no doubt about to tell everyone about her amazing room. You smiled and wrapped your arms around yourself. You could feel yourself drifting to him like he were some sort of magnet and you the polarized matter. Chris walked to you slowly, and you held tighter and hoped it was enough to keep you in check.

  “Is it too much?” You looked around the room again and saw for the first time a massive dollhouse-like playhouse. It was the cutest thing you’d ever seen and knew Ella would spend countless hours in there. You scoffed and shrugged.

  “Have you met your daughter? This is the child who wore head to toe pink sparkles to the park the other day. Do you remember that?” Chris laughed, and you smiled and nodded. “There is no such thing as too much.”

  You walked into the room a little more walking around him in a way that created the most distance. You stopped in front of the swing and sat, hoping to god it didn’t break under your weight. “This though—might not be the best idea. I can see her sneaking out of bed to swing and hurting herself. While she seems super advanced for her age let’s not set her up to fail.” He smiled and nodded.

  “Got it mama bear. I’ll take it down before bedtime.” You nodded and looked around again.

  “This is great though. It screams—permanence.” You looked down at the carpeted floor and shuffled your feet.

  “I mean—that’s the idea—right? Did I overstep?”

  “No, no, don’t—uuugh. I’m sorry, no, you didn’t. This is great, this—you’re great for doing this.”

  “I sense a but.” You stood and walked to him then touched his hand, hoping the action would make your words believable.

  “There is no but, you’re her father, you wanted to—.”

  “Show you that I’m taking this serious, to show you I want this, I want her, I want everything it means Vixen, all of it.”

  Biting your bottom lip, you held his gaze. You saw his pupil dilate and even felt his hand radiate with more heat than normal. Chris stepped into you and closed the appropriate space between you, and you could feel the air around you become thin and dense. Every hair on your body stood up, and then you saw his face move closer to yours.

  “Shit, he’s gonna kiss me.”

  “Vixen!”

  You jumped at the sound of your mother’s voice and backed away from Chris as if you’d just been caught doing something dirty. A few seconds later, your mother appeared at the doorway. She looked between the two of you, and you walked to her. “Yeah mom.”

  “Ella found the pool and is begging to get in.” Chris laughed.

  “That was quick.” You smiled and nodded.

  “I told you, she’s a mermaid.”

  “I’ll bring up the bags,” Chris said as he walked past you and your mother. Once alone, your mother gave you the look she always did when she expected an explanation. You stood your ground and remained silent.

  “So you are forever connected to a superstar celebrity by the child you share. What do you plan on doing about it?”

  You gaped at her. She had the guts to bring this up. You expected it, hell, some part of you was waiting for it. “What do you mean do about it?”

  “Vixen, you’re a beautiful woman, you have a lot to offer. Why not take things—further?” You scoffed and shook your head.

  “Mom, wow.”

  “Tell me you haven’t thought about it. Tell me you’ve never looked at him and wanted more. He is a handsome man sweetie. Maybe this is your chance.”

  You couldn’t believe your ears. She never seemed to amaze you. She had a one-track mind, and right now, you were it. “Chance for what mom?”

  “Love, maybe?” You snorted and laughed.

  “Love? She’s insane.”

  You shook your head just as Chris walked back in with bags. “Thanks.”

  “Mama, poowl pwease.” You smiled and nodded to her.

  “Come on, let’s pick a pretty bathing suit and get you all ready little mermaid.” Ella clapped her hands and went to the bags. “If you guys would excuse us, we have a fashion montage to start.”

  “Yayyyy!” Chris and your mother smiled at each other and walked out of the room so you and Ella could begin

Fifteen minutes later, you and Ella walked out to the backyard where the pool awaited you. She squealed with excitement, you smiled and put down the towels you held. Ella went to the edge and looked into the water. “Kristella Raelle, away from the edge, please.” She quickly backed away to a safe distance. You peeled off the t-shirt you wore and walked to the steps of the pool.

  “Ready baby?” She ran to you, and you grasped her hand to lead her into the water. Once she stepped into the water, she let loose a loud laugh. You smiled thoroughly enjoying her happiness. Once you stepped off the last step and sunk into the water you held your arms out for her.

  “Wedy mama?”

  “I’m ready, baby!” Ella squealed again and smiled, and Chris walked out, wearing a pair of swim trunks. Your eyes quickly scanned his exposed muscle and really liked what you saw. Again, the theme song for Baywatch played in your head.

“Da-da, watoh, come.” Chris smiled and sat at the edge of the pool and watched.

  “Wook!” Ella jumped from the step into your arms, and you spun her around. Chris clapped and lowered himself into the water.

  “Want to swim to da-da?” She nodded, and you set her in front of you then let her go. She did a quick little doggy paddle to an exhilarated Chris. Once she reached his arms he scooped her up and held her in the air. Ella laughed and posed as if she were Baby from Dirty Dancing.

  “Good job, princess.” You smiled. He turned to you as if to ask if you saw her. You nodded and swam to them. The three of you swam around and enjoyed the time together.

  Ella and Chris played in the water, and he seemed to love it, every second that passed he seemed to become more of a big kid, Ella loved it. He let her ride his back like he was a seahorse, and she was the sea princess. Chris let her ride his shoulders while he swam underwater like the whale and she was a talented whale rider. He pretended to be the dolphin complete with dolphin noises while Ella played the dolphin whisperer. They even played Marco Polo once Chris explained it to her, this she loved because every time Chris rocketed from underneath the water when she screamed “maco” he wiggled like a fish diving above the waves and every time he did a belly flop right in the water. Soon they drew the attention of your entire family who sat around the pool watching with adoring looks on their faces.

  After an hour, you’d had enough of the water, and after forty minutes you’d had more than your heart could take of the cuteness. You disappeared into the house to the kitchen and examined the contents of the fridge. Soon after, you busied yourself with cooking some dinner. It took no time at all before you got lost in the chopping, mixing, measuring, layering and a plethora of other actions that allowed your brain to stop.

  You were thankful for it because if it continued you were sure you’d go insane with the constant debate; it was now a three-way fight. Your head, your body and your heart all wanted different things. Your head spoke of shoulds, your body spoke of coulds, and your heart—that traitor was the worst of all, it spoke of woulds. Where your mind and body didn’t question, your heart had plenty. They were questions you didn’t have answers to, questions you would only find the answer to from him, and you weren’t quite brave enough—yet.

  “I should have known this is where you disappeared to.” You looked up from your bending position and saw Chris standing on the other side of the island. He was still shirtless, and your eyes noticed. Slowly they traveled down his torso and took in every detail. The two tattoos on his chest looked like perfect decorations for the well-formed muscle. Your palm itched to touch him. When your eyes trailed down his abs to his oblique indentations, that urge intensified. Unintentionally you squeezed the piping bag in your hands, sending white icing oozing out the tip and right onto your face. It was all so perfectly suggestive.

  “Oh fuck!” You stood and looked around for a cloth. Chris walked around the island to you with the item in his hand.

  “Here.” He lifted his hands to your face and began wiping off the icing. After a few deliberate swipes of the cloth, his movements slowed until they stopped altogether. He was now standing before you with your jaw gently held with one hand a cloth in the other. “There, perfect again. although—you’ve been perfect since—the day—I—I—I met you.” By the time he finished his sentence he was whispering. Chris grazed his thumb along your cheek, and the soft touch sent your belly fluttering.

  “I have something to tell you,” Chris began. His Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped.

  “What?” Your voice was a breathy whisper; you couldn’t muster anything else.

  “Uh---well--,” Chris began again.

  “Vix?” You looked from Chris to Nexus, who’d entered the kitchen.

  “Yeah.” Walking to her, she looked between you and Chris. You shook your head signaling for her to let it go.

  “Ella, she missed her nap so--.”

  You sighed. “Yeah, she’ll be a grumpy mess in an hour. We’ll have dinner now and hopefully avoid the meltdown to get her in bed.” Nex nodded and slowly turned to walk out.

  “So—dinner?”

  “Ready, I was just--.”

  “Uh-huh, I see what you were doing.” With that, Nex walked out of the room, and you sighed before you cleared your throat.

  “If you wanna take a quick shower, dinner will be on the table in ten,” you informed. Chris slowly nodded then walked out where Nex did. Once you were alone again you sighed and finished the touches to the cake you were icing.

  After dinner, you tucked Ella into her new bed in her new room. She fell asleep quickly which left you sitting there just staring at her. You knew if you did this to any other kid it would be creepy, but she was yours; it was normal. You’d spent so many nights watching her sleep marveling at the tiny human you were blessed with. Before you knew it two hours had passed, and you were still being a creeper.

  Walking out the room and down the hall to your own you quickly stripped and took a hot shower. The steam helped de-stress you, and the hot water did wonders for your need to be comforted. You worked to keep Chris off your mind. It was hard, but no matter what, after a few minutes, he came right back into your head. It was frustrating. Nex would say it was a sign you were also on his mind. You wondered if that were true.

  Once you stepped out wrapped in a plush towel, you stared at the canopy bed and just like that you were back in Vegas again. It was like he was trolling you with little details from your time together. this was yet another similarity from your exhausting wedding night. You sat on the window seat in the room and looked out to the sea of dark trees. It was peaceful out here, and you knew why he’d chosen this spot. It had nothing in common with LA. As you lotioned your skin, you stared up at the moon and marveled at how big and bright it looked here. A spark of fire caught your eye, and you peered more closely out the window. Chris stepped out onto the grass and walked to the clearing of trees. You watched him climb into the hammock that was just out of sight. Once he was in it all you could see was the tips of his feet and occasional peeks of his head.

  Soon you saw clouds of smoke weft into the air, and you knew he was smoking, you bet it was weed. A nostalgic smile decorated your lips. He began swinging in the hammock, and every time he did, you saw him in full sight. He had a faraway look on his face, but somehow he still looked perplexed. You wondered what he was thinking about so seriously. You had the thought to go down to him and split that blunt but knew if you had weed in your system your inhibitions would soon be lowered and with it your panties.

  “That’s if you wear panties, honey.”

  You smirked and shook your head at the thought. Sometimes you wondered if you were your own worst enemy. Sighing, you looked back to the moon once last time. When you were a child, your mother always had you make a wish on the moon every night. It must have been some old hippie practice because every single night, you’d made a wish on the moon. Some came true instantly, and others took time. You glanced back down to Chris who looked to be looking up at the same moon and closed your eyes.

  Taking a deep breath, you had the perfect wish, the one your heart, head, and body all agreed on. “If it’s meant for me, let it be.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

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[kanasmusings]

[Translation] TsukiPro Yaminabe Drama CD Vol. 1 Track 2 - “Talk Show With Two Bad Talkers”

What an unusual but really cute pairing~! Dai and Ren really make for a cute older bro-younger pro pair XD Also, “Honey and Darling” make a brief appearance here, really brief but, super funny! I really love Shiki’s slightly quirky personality when he’s making fun of Tsubasa wwww 

Oh yeah, the lines where it’s just Ren talking is just him narrating or talking to himself.

Anyways, thank you to Deea for sharing with me the files~! Please don’t ask her for them as per her request, thank you ^^

※ Please don’t re-post the English translations without permission. Please just like/reblog them instead ^^

Under the cut, enjoy~!

[TsukiPro Daily Life Small Talk – Yaminabe Drama]

Track 02: [口下手二人のトークショー] “Talk Show With Two Bad Talkers”

[0:00]

  REN: Ever since I was young, I was called things like, “behaved”, “reserved”, “try to stand out a bit more” and other such stuff.

REN: I am aware of those and even though I was thinking about what to do about it, I ended up not being able to do anything and am presently here right now.

REN: Elementary school, middle school… I tried imitating a lot of speech and manners in order to improve myself and I even asked my teachers for advice.

REN: I planned to train myself during kendo practice and even at piano rehearsals.

REN: But in the end, trying to stand out more and more was difficult…

REN: By the time I got to high school, I just accepted that this was the kind of person I am. I sort of half gave up and half convinced myself that it was like that.

REN: But… I think that it would have been better if I exerted more effort rather than just giving up and convincing myself this was okay…

REN: At least… that’s how I feel.

REN: And also because… it felt kind of suffocating staying like this.

  REN: (sighs) Wh-wh-wh-wh-what should I do…? (takes a deep breath)

DAI: Hm?

REN: (to himself) With Dai-san… A talk show with the SolidS’ Murase Dai-san who exudes such a vigorous aura…!

REN: (to himself) This is bad…!

REN: This all started after I popped in to the agency on my way home from school.

REN: It was the formal meeting at the end of the month. I knew that we would be having a meeting with the office workers.

REN: SOARA typically does meetings one by one at least once a month.

REN: They’re courteous with us about our private matters or school schedules as we discuss our work and lesson schedules for the next month.

REN: Of course, the schedules are not completely permanent.

REN: The advertising part and the work we’re supposed to do need to be coordinated properly so, it’s not impossible that meetings would be stretched to a few days.

REN: But, most of those plans and responsibilities are generally resolved in these meetings.

REN: And now, even I started coordinating with the office workers about my activities that I received from a call and a note just 10 minutes ago.

REN: Well, it was peaceful until that moment.

REN: Yes… Until that moment.

[02:51]

  STAFF: Lately, requests for SOARA to appear in news and articles has increased, huh.

STAFF: I’m sure that it’s all thanks to your hard work (smiles).

REN: Thank you very much!

STAFF: Looking at how things are going… It won’t be long before you have your exclusive manager!

REN: An exclusive mana—You mean, our own manager, correct?

STAFF: Yeah. SOARA still doesn’t have an exclusive manager, right?

STAFF: Since you’re fairly new, the agency managers take turns managing you depending on who’s free, right?

REN: Ah, yes. We haven’t had an event in a really huge place yet and we’ve only been doing interviews for magazines and ladies’ magazines, too.

STAFF: I’m sure that you’d get more jobs where you’ll perform soon, too~

STAFF: I heard that the photo-book that was recently published was selling well. The President was happy about it, too!

REN: The President was…?

STAFF: (chuckles) It doesn’t look it but that person really watches over everyone and gets information about his talents quicker than anyone else.

STAFF: He also has a lot of mysterious info.

REN: (chuckles nervously) H-he’s as mysterious as usual, huh…

STAFF: (chuckles) You got that right.

  STAFF B: Ah, Ren-kun! Perfect timing.

REN: Eh?

[04:07]

  REN: (to himself) Honestly speaking, I felt that bad things would happen during this incident.

REN: “Perfect timing,” hearing those words before the actual conversation doesn’t really mean that the outcome would be “perfect”…

REN: I’ve learned that already despite being alive in this world for only a short while.

REN: I think a lot about how I’m the type who doesn’t like pushing people around but rather, I’m the one getting dragged along most of the time but…

REN: At times like these, normally… I feel like I’ll get assigned to do something difficult or worrisome…

REN: My intuition is most of the time correct when the conclusion comes around.

REN: That is because… that “conclusion” is the current situation I’m in right now…

REN: It was a live radio broadcast where a host asks different male talents different questions about a lot of things.

REN: Today’s guest was an artist who was scheduled to return from his first tour in America.

REN: However, because of some engine trouble in the air, the airplane had to make an emergency landing somewhere else and he couldn’t make it to the recording.

REN: Then, while looking for replacements to go on the radio show, they went and asked the people who were already in the building with them. That was me and Dai-san.

REN: A talk show where we were suddenly called…

REN: And to top it off, it’s with this pairing who don’t talk much and have never had much interaction before.

REN: I think that… it’s not unusual for my face to look so scared… Right…?

[05:55]

  REN: (to himself) Ah… Why did it have to be this pairing of all things?

STAFF: (pats Ren’s back) R-Ren-kun, good luck…! Just think of this as a chance to promote SOARA…!

REN: A-ah… Yes, you’re right. (Ren takes a deep breath) Alright…!

(Ren walks over to Dai)

REN: Da—

DAI: Hm?

REN: Is Dai-san, u-um…

DAI: Ah…

REN: Were you called over by the Producer too because you were in the agency building?

REN: I was talking with the office staff when I was caugh—Ah, no… When I was called over.

DAI: I see. I was doing dance lessons at the studio downstairs when I was caugh—When I was called over.

REN: Eh? Is that so?

DAI: Yeah.

REN: (nervous) Ah…

DAI: Hm?

REN: (takes a deep breath and sighs) The dance…! Was it difficult…?

DAI: No, not so much. I’ve always loved moving my body a lot after all.

DAI: I did swimming before, too.

REN: Ah! I knew about that. You participated in competitions, too, didn’t you?

DAI: Though I injured my shoulder and I couldn’t continue competitively anymore.

REN: Ah… Th-that’s right… I-I knew a little about that as well…

DAI: Really?

REN: (to himself) I’m so stupid…! Just when we were finally having a decent conversation…

REN: (sighs) (to himself) Awkward… This is extremely awkward… I’m sure that Dai-san thinks so, too…

REN: (to himself) Something… Is there something we can talk about…?

REN: (sighs) (to himself) This is so unnerving…

[07:57]

  REN: (to himself) Why was I scheduled for a meeting today of all days…?

REN: That’s what I honestly thought.

REN: If I had been with Nozomu or Sora-senpai, or Mori-senpai, or Sou-nii then…

REN: In other words… If I were partnered with anyone else except for SOARA…

REN: I might become better at conversing…

REN: “Plus, isn’t this a chance to make them remember my name and face?” is what I say to motivate myself…

REN: “I was lucky. It was good timing.”

REN: Maybe I should promote SOARA just like the staff said… was what I wanted to think.

REN: But, before anything could begin, my own frustrations set me back… I’m so pathetic…

[08:53]

  REN: (sighs) (to himself) What should I do?

DAI: You…

DAI: You do sports too, don’t you, Ren? Kendo, right?

REN: Eh?

REN: (flustered) A-ah, yes! I did! Ah, no—I still do!

DAI: I know. Even now, you train every morning at the practice room, don’t you?

REN: Yes! But, I’m surprised you kne—Ah, I see… Dai-san and Rikka-san go running early in the morning, right?

REN: Do you always run?

DAI: Yeah. On days when we don’t have anything scheduled. We feel like it’ll help us wake up if we go running.

REN: I see!

DAI: Also, I really love how the morning feels.

REN: I know what you mean! I love the morning’s relaxing atmosphere and it feels good for some reason.

DAI: Right? I love it, too.

REN: Ah…!

DAI: Is there someone from SOARA who’s weak with mornings?

REN: Sora-senpai and Nozomu are, I’d say.

REN: Sora-senpai stays up late because of song writing so maybe that’s why. Nozomu’s weakness is of his own fault though.

REN: He stays up late surfing the net or playing games. He plays a lot of things (chuckles).

REN: What about anyone from SolidS?

DAI: I’d say Tsubasa’s probably similar.

DAI: He’s the type who does a lot of different things until he’s—no, even when he’s sleepy.

DAI: He has a lot of places he wants to go to or things he wants to do but since there’s not a lot of time, he feels like going to sleep is a waste.

DAI: In a way, that’s powerful, right?

REN: Ah, Tsubasa-san seems like he has a lot of interests, huh?

REN: (chuckles) He’s well-informed, he’s light on his feet, and he seems like the type who’d discover a good shop before it became mainstream.

DAI: Exactly. That’s why there are a lot of times he goes home late.

DAI: Oh yeah. That reminds me of when he called me at a very weird time and Shiki and I had to go pick him up.

REN: Eh? Picked him up? Was he drunk or something?

DAI: That’s what you’d think, right? It was unexpectedly not so.

DAI: That guy knows how to drink and he holds his alcohol well.

REN: I guess it would be rude to say if I said that was my image of him. Everyone in SolidS can hold their alcohol, right?

DAI: Actually, yeah. I think I’m the weakest one in SolidS.

DAI: Even so, if compared to your average person, I’d probably be normal or a bit above average [with holding my alcohol].

DAI: The other three are way above that.

REN: Eh~? Everyone in SolidS is so amazing~

REN: Oh? Then, why did Tsubasa-san—

DAI: Call for me?

DAI: That was after that guy went out drinking after not noticing he forgot his wallet.

DAI: He noticed it when he was at the register and he tried paying using his phone but it didn’t work.

DAI: He called me way past midnight when the trains weren’t running anymore and…

  (flashback to Dai and Tsubasa’s conversation)

TSUBASA: (over the phone) Hello, Dai-chan?! You picked up. I’m so relieved~! I’m saved!

TSUBASA: (over the phone) Where are you right now, Dai-chan?

DAI: Huh? Sleeping in the dorms, of course.

DAI: Tsubasa, you… What time do you think it is—

TSUBASA: (over the phone) I’m really sorry! Really, I am!

TSUBASA: (over the phone) I’ll treat you to how much you want and I’ll do anything you want after so… Please come and save me!

DAI: Huh?! You… What are you doing, really?

TSUBASA: (over the phone) Uh… Dai-chan, I’m sorry. Actually, I—

[12:44]

  SHIKI: Hm? Dai, where are you going at this hour? An emergency?

DAI: Ah, no. Well, I guess you can call it an emergency but… not really for me. Tsubasa is…

SHIKI: (excitedly) Tsubasa?!

  (Dai and Shiki walking over to Tsubasa)

TSUBASA:  Ah, Dai-chan, you came—UGH!!

SHIKI: Rejoice. I have come to pick you up personally, my careless honey who forgot his wallet at home~

TSUBASA: Eh? Oh my, darling~ Thank you for picking me up~…

TSUBASA: (nervous chuckle) M-man, I—I really am loved, huh~…

SHIKI: (sighs) How unsightly for a TsukiPro talent. Had you made one more mistake, you’d have left without paying your bill.

SHIKI: Ah, how truly unsightly.

TSUBASA: AH! I’m sorry! I just forgot to check if it was in my bag before I left!

SHIKI: Okui Tsubasa. You are not to leave the dorm after curfew for two weeks.

TSUBASA: WHAT?! A curfew?! What’s with that? Am I some kinda middle schooler to you!?

TSUBASA: That doesn’t apply now, does it?!

SHIKI: It may or may not but, it certainly should apply to you who bothered his brother so late in the night to help save his butt because he wasn’t aware of his standing after he debuted professionally even after he was told to be careful.

TSUBASA: You’re lecturing for once…! But it’s so annoying!

SHIKI: Still, there is no doubt that this is a lecture. Are you defying me? Are you defying me, hm~?

TSUBASA: (groans) Damn it…!

SHIKI: That’s it, that’s it. I’ll say these lines to make it concrete.

SHIKI: This is an order from your Producer!

TSUBASA: AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

DAI: You guys… I’m surprised that you can fight so loudly this late at night.

DAI: I’m really sleepy, you know?

(flashback ends)

[14:40]

  REN: Th-that was… It was fortunate that you were there, huh, Dai-san?

DAI: Right? In the end, Tsubasa had to obey curfew for two weeks.

REN: (chuckles) He can’t defy the Producer’s orders after all~

  STAFF: Murase-san, Munakata-san, the preparations are already over so can we ask you to go on stand-by, please?

REN: Ah, yes!

DAI: Yes.

(Dai and Ren take their seats)

STAFF: I’ll arrange the mic, okay?

REN: Ah, yes please.

DAI: (whispering to Ren) A talk show really makes one nervous, huh?

REN: (chuckles)

  ==END==

※ Please don’t re-post the English translations without permission.

If you like this, please consider buying me a ko-fi here to support my work. (o^▽^o)Thank you!!

[neuroticartist]

The Great Tumblr Purge 2018

Hey howdy hey! So even though my blog is very much SFW and my art is pretty vanilla, even I wasn’t safe from having some of my posts flagged. 7 in total that I saw. Most of which made me raise my eyebrow and go “what, seriously?”

I’m uhh... at a bit of a loss of what to do, honestly. As a furry artist, it kinda feels like I have a target on my head just because of what I draw. I’d like to THINK that after this purge the bots will not be so aggressive, but it’s really hard to say.

I’ve been using this site as my main way of posting art for the past, what, 5 years or so? I’ve slowly gotten away from DA just because of how outdated and difficult the mobile app is, and while the Tumblr app isn’t awesome either, I could do MOST of the stuff I needed, like schedule posts and have a decent tagging system for here and my main blog where I collect fan art or whatever general interest thing I’m into.

At the moment I have no plans to leave, but if my posts are going to continue to be falsely flagged and deleted without my knowledge, then this definitely won’t be my go-to for posting art anymore. Which SUCKS because it was so easy to post on here then also post on my Twitter automatically. Not to mention the fact that I’ve started a web comic and now I’ve quickly moved over to SmackJeeves until I can afford my own website.

I really hate this. I was getting close to 300 followers and was going to have a raffle once I did, but now I don’t want to continue to post here if a lot of folks are jumping ship. Just... arrrgghh!

Like I said, I’m not going to jump ship immediately, but if you have any other social media that you want to follow me on, feel free to do so here: 

NeroStreet at Patreon

Buy me a Coffee at Ko-fi

Nero Street at DeviantART

Nero Street on YouTube 

NeroDraws at Twitter

NeuroticArtist07 on Instagram

Nerostreet at Redbubble

Nerostreet at Society6

There are definitely plenty of other smaller art sites, but it’s going to be difficult to find a place as vast as and popular as Tumblr. Maybe Twitter, but that has its own host of problems.

Guess I’ll just wait and see for now.

[yumapii]

[Event Story] My Santa, My Hero [2/12]

Parts 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12

Well then, let’s turn the crying angel into a smiling one~!

[scene: lounge]

Rintarou:

( Well then, let’s turn the crying angel into a smiling one~! )

Hey, Yuniyuni!

Yuni:

Yes?

Rintarou:

You know, I really love Yuniyuni’s angel smile ☆

Yuni:

Eh?

Mikage:

…..  

Rintarou:

When the time comes to greet Shigure, instead of a crying face, showing him a smile is 100xs better, no?

Yuni:

… ! Then- Then I won’t cry anymore.

Rintarou:

Allllright, that’s a good boy, that’s the spirit! Then, what should we do first?

If it’s to make Yuniyuni feel better, I’ll do anything ya know?

Yuni:

Really?

Then, then… I want a Christmas party with everyone!

Rintarou:

Party? Sounds good~

How bout something really flashy?

Yuni:

Erm, well, the cake has to be a gigantic strawberry cake! And it has to use the highest grade cream from the best hotel patisserie in England!

Rintarou:

Uh-huh. Highest grade patisserie, right? What else?

Yuni:

The primo piatto(1) will be Cannelloni. The chicken must be freshly imported from France.

Rintarou:

French chicken… As expected Yuniyuni is gourmet~!

Yuni:

Yup! It’s delicious! I want eat it with everyone!

Rintarou:

( Oh, he smiled? )

Yuni:

Also, I want a tree that’s way, waaaaaay taller than the ceiling!

Yuma:

It sounds like it’ll become an amazing party.

Yuni:

I also want to sing Christmas songs with everyone. We’ll need a choir of 100 people!

Rintarou:

O.K ☆ np np

I’ll grant eeeeeverything!

Yuni:

Yay! Will you really?

Rintarou:

MMO~!

“Of to the course so/ leave it to me/ as expected of ore-sama” (2)

Right, Mi-chan ♪

Mikage:

I’ll pass… ♪

………. [time skip]

// Without haste, I start planning the Christmas party with Yuniyuni. //

Rintarou: (in santa suit)

Tadaa! Kumarin-Santa-san has arrived ☆

Yuni: (also in santa suit)

Tadaa! I’m also Santa-san!

Rintarou:

As expected, before anything can start, we have to meet it head on with our physical appearances!

Yuni:

Head on!

Rintarou:

Alright, then should we start with the invitations?

Yuni:

Invitations!

// For Yuniyuni who said that handwritten is better, I bring out the pen and cards. //

Yuni:

Errm…

“Come to our Christmas party”.

Ugh, I can’t write Japanese well…

Rintarou:

( “Our”, huh?

I started hosting this party for Yuniyuni’s sake though. Geez, isn’t he saying something really cute? )

Alright then, at the bottom, should we jointly sign off?

Yuni:

Jointly si-, what?

Rintarou:

It means we’re close enough to cooperate!

Yuni:

Wow, then I’ll “joint sign” with President-san!

Rintarou:

O.K, then let’s go go go, write write write! Pedal to the metal, Yuniyuni.

// With Yuniyuni in high spirits, we steadily produce the invitations. //

Rintarou:

( Next is the day itself. I wonder how many Special Course students will show up. )

I got it! Since we’re doing this, to get everyone to come, why don’t we try handing out something?

Yuni:

Even during the parties at home, Nii-sama and I will put on a musical performance for the guests.

Rintarou:

I see, I see, so that’s how it is.

Oh! How about the two of us do a conto(3) at reception? If everyone is smiling, Yuniyuni will surely be happy too!

Yuni:

Conto…?

Rintarou:

It’s a short comedy sketch to make everyone smile!

Yuni:

Wah, amazing! I will do a conto with President-san!

Let’s also write it in the invitations!

// In his adorable handwriting, Yuniyuni attaches a line “there will also be a conto” onto the card.

Looking at Yuniyuni enjoy himself, I feel relieved for the time being. //

Rintarou:

Next, we gotta distribute these!

// With good timing, Shishimaru passes by holding a cola. //

Yuni:

Ah! Leone!

Rintarou:

Alright, Yuniyuni, now go hand it over to Shishimaru!

Yuni:

Leone! I made an invitation! We’re inviting you to President and I’s Christmas Party!

Takaomi:

Huh? What’s with your outfit… Besides, I’m not interested in Christmas and I’m going back home on that da-

Yuni:

No worries! Since everyone might be busy on Christmas, our party is going to be earlier than that!

Takaomi:

Well that’s just at your own convenience, isn’t it? Besides-

Yuni:

I’ll be waiting! I have to hand these out to everyone else too!

Takaomi:

Listen to what people say, oi! sigh... Seriously.

Rintarou:

( As expected of Yuniyuni, he presses through for his own way. )

// After that, I watched over the adorable (though wee bit pushy) mailman with fondness in my heart. //

--

(1) primo piatto is main course

(2) kumarin... you... (mochironde / makaseteokke- / ottosasugano oresama da) is what he said

(3) i left this as is because yuni did not know. between yuni not knowing words and kumarin’s way of speaking, this event is actually a little bit more painful than i thought but isss okay 

[whatsupzombie]

some thoughts

this is probably gonna get kind of long, but i wanted to organize all my thoughts on a couple points of the dragon age fandom...

so. like i said,  the closer april 2022 gets, the more complaining about varric not being romance-able i see. that and anders apologists. these two things seem to hint at a lack of healthy boundaries.....

and here’s why:

varric

firstly, on varric. he’s in two of the games and it is made explicitly clear that he is not interested in a romantic relationship, hinting at being preoccupied with a the woman his bow is named for. 

immediately there, you can he sets a boundary, and a huge portion of the da fandom doesn’t appreciate it. in fact, i mostly see people upset about this boundary. on the one hand, sure, he’s not a real person, but on the other, part of bioware’s whole goal is to create interesting characters that you can form genuine relationships with on some level. 

varric became best friends with two of my PCs (in DAI, he’s second to dorian tho), and tbf, i never had the goal of even trying to romance him, and i’m not sure that would have changed if he wasn’t involved with bianca. however. he says multiple times across da2 and dai that he is not interested in a relationship. which is a big reason in why i stayed away from flirting with him. 

a lot of the fandom tends to hate bianca because of all this. which. i mean. she’s not like, a great person, so ehhh, but it’s also not entirely her fault that their relationship didn’t work out. however, hating her solely because she is “the reason” that there’s no romance option for varric is. questionable at best, i think. 

don’t get me wrong, i don’t like bianca. but it has to do with the fact that she had a very active role in getting people killed. her relationship with varric is, i think, really none of the PC’s business. and, iirc, after dai, varric doesn’t want to have anything to do with her anymore, but still isn’t open to romance. 

which is fine! not every character has to be a romance option. sometimes people need their space. 

there is another point in which people mainly being upset there isn’t a lot of dwarf options for romance, but that does not mean that a character written specifically to not be interested needs to change in order to fill that role. 

leave varric alone party. he just wants friends. just be his friend.

anders

hhhh. okay.

so. i despise anders. this is 100% an anders hate account. 

now that that is out of the way, i’ll be more civil. first of all, anders is meant to be a bad guy. no matter what you do in da2, he blows up the chantry, destroying any remaining options to peacefully resolve conflict between the mages and templars. he literally started a war. and i chose to kill him, even though i always play a mage. 

here’s the thing, though. anders is like the epitome of why the general public is terrified of mages and why they are consistently oppressed and treated horribly. and he knows that he is, and he does not try to change. 

honestly, i don’t get his appeal. he’s bi, blonde, and has a cat? is the bar that low? sure, he had a bit of a tragic past, but he also brutally murdered grey wardens that he perceived as a threat. he’s also a blood mage AND an abomination. like, everything about him is bad. 

now, this isn’t the point, but i do want to touch on blood magic and abominations for a second. in thedas, blood magic is pretty universally feared, and which good reason. it is a powerful form a magic that usually requires a pretty hefty sacrifice. however, on its own, it’s just magic, neither good or bad, really. the problem tends to be that mages use it to further their own goals, which, more often than not, involves making oneself as powerful as possible. so you see it linked to some pretty nasty stuff quite often. anders knows this and knowingly engages with blood magic. 

additionally, spirits are in a similar sort of situation. on their own, they may be good, bad, or neutral, but the problem is when they are introduced to a human host. justice, for example, started as a fairly positive spirit with good intentions, but it was anders’s humanness that corrupted justice into a spirit no longer of justice, but of vengeance. and again, anders knows this and chooses this route anyway. perhaps he didn’t know fully that he would corrupt justice, but he knew full well what other abominations had done in the name of good intentions. 

so, anders is all around a mage that the public fears, he destroyed one of the only bridges of redemption he had, and he even says awful things about party members in da2, like approving of the idea that fenris should be sold back into slavery. this is largely because fenris doesn’t believe mages should be free, i think, but that doesn’t absolve him of being a horrible person. 

once again, anders, a mage who think all mages should be free, blew up a chantry filled with innocent people, most of whom did agree with him, just because mages would not have been fully freed within the hour. i mean, shit, the game fully implies that had not anders done anything, the templars and mages would have worked together to make life better for the mages while still providing both them, and the public, some protection. 

(also, this is not something i’m going to get into, but equating templars to cops is horribly reductionist and missing the point of their story entirely. please stop doing that.)

even varric hates anders by the end of da2, and it’s because of anders’s own actions. so, no, i don’t think it’s cute to like anders if you played through da2, i don’t think he has any redeeming qualities, and his cat is better off without him. he started a war out of SPITE. he is directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of mages. DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE. 

to be clear, i’m not talking about anyone who likes his character in that it is an interesting one. i mean i literally saw a screenshot of someone titling their da2 shortcut as “anders dating sim.” that’s gonna be a huge red flag for me. 

anyway. this was a huge long post, but i had to get it out of my head. aaaaaaa.

[vanogla]

haha okay-

i may have thrown together a lil oneshot while i was out having dinner with my family xD

Rated T for swearing Word count: 1793 Pairing: Daithi de Vanoss 

It’s pretty mild but here are the warnings: * anxiety (at the start) * daithi-de-h2o/vanoss-shipper

i wanted to write something from Evan’s side for once- so here’s some high school shenanigans hahah 

Wattpad | AO3

To put it simply, Evan is panicking.

He's drumming his fingers on his desk and sitting upright in his seat- which never happens- and his eyes are darting back and forth between the teacher and the first page of his brand new notebook.

He knew he forgot something- he had been sweeping all corners of his room this morning to make sure that he had brought everything he'd need, to make sure that he hadn't forgotten anything-

And right now, he is sitting in the first period of the new semester without a fucking pencil.

This can't be happening. He's always been at the top of his class because of his notes- and it's the first fucking day of school, they're learning something completely new and he can't absorb any of it because he's panicking.

No matter how much he tells himself to relax, he can't. The teacher is going to notice, maybe ask him a question he can't answer, maybe look at his notebook- which is still empty.

Blank, white lined paper, with not even the title written down because he has nothing to write with- and he's listening to the teacher's lesson without taking anything down, without taking anything in- so he sits there, fidgeting.

Thud.

He accidentally knocks his knees on the bottom of the table, fuck.

Some people glance in his direction, but the teacher doesn't notice. He ducks his head down and pretends to read something written on his blank page.

To his dismay, no words magically appear before his eyes.

A whisper from the seat to his right startles him. "Psst."

Evan exhales shakily, keeping his gaze adamantly fixed on the page.

"Psst, Evan."

He flips to the next blank page.

"Evan, yer book is empty."

Evan rolls his eyes. Yeah, I fucking see that. Now leave me alone, David.

Out of nowhere- something taps him on the shoulder. He nearly jumps out of his seat.

"What?!" He hisses, turning his head slightly to the right to show he's listening.

"Jeez, why're you all pissy? Yer actin' like a teenage girl on her period, man."

"Shut the fuck up." He turns back to face the front.

"Hey."

He says nothing.

"Evan."

"What?!" He hisses again. He's more annoyed than terrified now, but it doesn't make him any less agitated.

"I'll give you my pencil in exchange for a dare."

The pencil taps him on the shoulder again. He wants to take it so badly- but the logical side of his brain is demanding to know what the catch is.

He makes no move to take the pencil. "What dare?"

He watches a pale hand reach over to place the pencil on his desk. It's one of those shitty pencils you win from a school-hosted colouring competition, scratchy on paper and difficult to erase- but the most important thing is that it works.

He stares at it.

"I dare you to... confess to yer crush."

Evan immediately puts the pencil back on David's desk. "No."

He hears David curse quietly, before: "C'mon man, I've been rooting for you and Jon since day one. The straight-A smart guy with the crazy class clown? It's the greatest trope ever!"

Evan glares daggers into his book, silently fuming. If this is what it takes- he's not even interested in taking notes anymore. "That's such a stupid excuse. I'm not doing it."

David slides the pencil right into his line of vision.

He resists the urge to snap the pencil in two. Instead, he takes a deep breath and puts his hands neatly on his lap.

David doesn't say anything more for a minute.

He tunes into the lesson, ignoring the pencil and pretending it isn't right in front of him and within his reach.

His pride won't allow it. It's a pencil for a stupidass dare, fuck that.

"Now, the aim is to explain the science of rockets in layman's term and introduce people to the key maths and physics used in-"

Evan starts to panic again.

He- he doesn't know any of this shit- and he definitely won't remember it later if he doesn't write it down-

He's going to fail this class because he doesn't understand anything-

"Evan, I see ya goin' crazy in yer seat. Just take the pencil-"

Evan quickly snatches it up and starts scribbling notes furiously.

"-if you answer a question in return-"

He finishes his sentence and puts the pencil down.

"-Oi, that's cheating-"

"Fuck off, David."

"Man, you can keep the pencil for the whole day, just answer a simple question- I'll ask you it after school ends, alright?"

The whole day.

He'll get to keep it for the whole day, holy shit.

"Fuck. Fine, as long as it's not a stupid question."

David laughs under his breath as Evan picks up the pencil again and continues to write.

To his relief, David doesn't try to talk to him for the rest of the lesson.

To his horror, he's probably just agreed to something he can't get out of.

David really wasn't fooling around.

Evan shuts his locker door to see David standing behind it with a huge smile on his face.

It's almost comical- he would've laughed if it weren't for the horror of impending doom.

"Question time!"

Evan swiftly turns and walks away before he realises, belatedly, that he's going in the wrong direction. He nearly laughs out loud- he might as well walk an entire loop around campus just to get to the exit since David is not going to let up anytime soon.

Just as he thought, David jogs to catch up to him. He huffs, deciding to resign himself to his fate. He still has the pencil, after all.

"Question, Evan! Who're you crushing on? I bet Brock twenty bucks it's Jon!"

He scoffs. "The fuck? What was Brock's guess?"

"No one important!"

"Who? Tell me." Let me guess: he bet you, didn't he, Evan mentally sighs.

Brock found out about his crush on David last year when he caught him staring. Evan's more mindful of how much he stares now, of how he treats David in public- just to throw Brock off- but by the looks of it, it didn't quite work out and Brock's about to earn himself a twenty.

"Er- don't laugh- but he said me because I'm always following ye around like a lost puppy, especially during freshman year when I first came here- but you've been friends with Jon since pre-school so that makes more sense!"

"By Brock's logic, shouldn't you be the one crushing on me? You creepy weirdo."

David's smile falters. "Oh. I mean, yeah."

Evan stops in his tracks, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What do you mean, yeah? You're- you're not denying it?"

"No! No, I am. I don't have a crush on you, that'd just be... weird. I meant yeah like yeah- he's probably got it the wrong way around."

Evan continues walking, chuckling lightly. "You sure he wasn't trying to tell you something? You sound pretty defensive about it-"

"I'm not being defensive!" David exclaims defensively. "He's just fuckin' with me, das all. And you're in on it."

"I'm not in on anything," Evan raises his hands in mock surrender. "You're the one making bets behind my back."

David frowns. "Fuck you, Evan! Yer just tryin' ta dodge the question!"

"What question?" he asks.

"Who. Do you have a crush on."

"Oh, right," Evan grins. "Nobody."

"That's impossible. Everyone's got the hots for someone nowadays."

"Is that your way of telling me you like me?"

"Yer dodging the question again!"

"No, David. You're dodging the question."

"Okay, my head hurts now," David groans.

Evan smirks. "So you do 'have the hots' for me."

David sighs. "I don't."

"You do."

"Alright, fine, I do."

"You do?"

"I don't!"

Evan makes a turn. He can see the gate to the exit a couple of feet away now, and he starts to make his way toward it.

"Alright, I believe you," he tells David.

"Now you're just being sarcastic."

Evan thinks it's too bad he's enjoying the conversation. He doesn't know how or when the conversation got to this point but he grins all the same. "Do you think I think you like me?"

David's brows furrow. "I think I like you."

Evan's grin grows wider. "That's not what I asked."

"Awh, fuck. Fuck it. Just pretend I never said anything," David mumbles, stopping at the school gate.

Evan thinks freedom at last.

However, there's still something he feels like he should mention before he leaves-

"Hey, David."

"Mhm?"

"Um... you want your pencil back?"

"Nah, just keep it."

"'Kay, thanks."

"No problem."

Evan moves to leave, but stops and turns back again. "What about the question?"

"What question?"

"Exactly. See you tomorrow!" He quickly turns to leave.

"Wait wha- oh, come on! Evan, just- just humour me a little."

He stops and turns back again.

"Give me some clues, at least!"

Evan laughs, tracing back his steps to David. "Fine, just don't get jealous."

David's face twists. "I won't! Go on, now."

"Okay- so first of all," he holds up one finger, "It's a guy."

"No surprise there. I'm straighter than ye are."

"If you're gonna be a dick about it, I'm leaving."

"No, no. Continue."

"Alright, second of all, he's a pretty funny guy."

"Oh, Jon is a pretty funny guy-"

"Okay, see you tomorrow, David-"

"Sorry! Sorry, I'll stop!"

Evan laughs, turning back.

"Thirdly, he also likes to play video games."

"That doesn't narrow it down a lot but alright."

"He knows how to play guitar..."

"Half the fuckin' school knows how to play guitar- you and me included- but alright."

"He has black hair..."

"Black hair... black hair..."

"And... he's standing here right now."

At that, David looks around. The gate is mostly empty- save for the security guard and some middle schoolers.

David blinks at Evan. "Wha- are you talking about me?"

"No, I'm talking about myself, of course."

"Oh. That makes sense."

"No it doesn't, you fucking idiot. I was being sarcastic."

"I'm confused."

"I. Have a crush. On you."

"Oh. Okay."

"Alright, so now you have your answer. See you tomorrow, David."

"Wait-"

Evan huffs, turning back around again. "What?"

"Do we kiss now?"

"What?! Why?"

"W-wha'cha mean why? Because we like each other!"

"So you do admit you like me."

David flushes red. "Yes! Yes- I do have a fucking crush on you, Evan!"

"Yeah, alright, we can kiss," Evan grins, "Tomorrow."

"Fuck you, Evan!" David yells, watching him leave.

Evan bursts out laughing at the middle schoolers that immediately chant "fuck, fuck, fuck" - and the security guard's resulting look of disapproval. He walks home with a spring in his step.

[newgeekcity]

New Geek City is Live Blogging MST3k The Return

Once a upon a time there was a bored kid. He just moved to a new place where he didn’t know anyone. Hair was coming in weird places. His face looked like it came from a rare Garbage Pail Kid card.

Other things were changing for the kid, namely his tastes. To him everything started to be so childlike. His books, Full House, even Saturday morning cartoons. There wasn’t anything that really appealed to him anymore.

Except for Batman the Animated Series, that was still awesome.

So one day while trying to avoid the Smurfs or some shit, the kid flipped on Comedy Central. Gamera was on. Everything sucked, but he wasn’t too big for Toho movie monsters. 

Just look at it...

And see those guys on the bottom? They were cracking jokes, making astute observations. Then they would do silly musical numbers. It was the best, and for years after, no matter what, the kid would tune in to see what crazy schlock the boys of MST3k would do next.

And yeah yeah, the boy was me. Twist ending, M. Night Shyamalan style. Blah blah.

Since MST3k came into my life so early, sometimes I wonder where it started and I begin in the soup of neurons and my memories. Am I sarcastic and love terrible movies because it brings me back to my safe space? Or am I drawn to MST3k because I am sarcastic and I love 1960s Godzilla movies.

I don’t think there’s a real answer to that question. However, after a long long departure. MST3k is back and on Netflix... so lets dive into the first episode which is called... episode 1? Seriously guys? Way to be descriptive.

We got movie sign after the jump

00:00 - Hold on I need more coffee. 

00:00 - Alright, back. Lets see what’s up. I’m really curious about the opening. If I remember right the opening song was sung by Mike Nelson. So lets see how this stacks up. 

I’m not looking for a perfect recreation, but something in the same spirit.

1:39 - People? There’s other people in this universe? I thought there was like 10 tops in the entire world in the original series. Then there’s Wil fucking Wheaton. I don’t mind the people, but I do mind Wil Wheaton, that fucking guy. The DIY effects and models are really great though.

In what looks like the Gizmonic mission control, the staff are puppets. I love that.

Wait I know that lady... She’s Erin Gray. Colonel Deering from Buck Rogers. When I was 5 I wasn’t sure if I was going to marry her or Princess Leia. 

Hey it could have happened, I was a cute kid.

But seriously, Fuck. Wil. Wheaton. 

2:00 - I have to admit, I’m sort of liking Jonah. He has the same affable quality as Joel and Mike. 

4:30 - Gypsy could talk? Like for reals? Weird.

I also did like the opening sequence, a lot. Its different. It feels like that’s what the sequence should have been for the movie. But I really liked it. Great work Joel. 

8:00 - Invention exchange is back. Patton Oswalt is perfect as TV’s son of TV’s Frank. Although I was doubting Felicia Day, I have to admit she is charming here. 

The movie doors are different, you could tell they used a computer for this one. Not sure if I like that, But whatevs its minor. 

The bots voices are actually pretty good too. Crow sounds like Crow. Tom sort of sounds like Tom. I do have to get used to Jonah though.

9:00 - Its not skin, its beef. Just saying.

Delicious ground beef.

10:30 - Tom can fly! He can fly!!

13:15 - We have Super Dragon reference! Also one of the best MST3k songs 

14:00 - “You know an aquarium is just a pet store that doesn’t sell anything.” Made me lol.

14:41 - Gypsy showed up and made a quip. I already forgot what it was. I wonder if it’ll be a thing.

16:35 - I’m hoping the movie picks up. I doubt it because its MST3k. But they did a “commercial break” just now. They repeated the name of the movie and showed I guess would be the Deep 13 House Band. 

I think a skit would have worked better. Its not like they have to fit in actual commercials. But they’re probably trying to keep as close to the original format as possible.

18:30 - Scientist 1: “I envy that young man.”

Scientist 2: “He will be busy now.”

Me: Yeah with your daughters, you Dane weirdo.

20:00 - Who just keeps an electric eel in a tank in a hallway? Nothing is gonna go wrong there. Nothing at all....ARRRRRGHG 

22:00 - I’m having a really hard time picking up who’s speaking. Particularly with Tom / Jonah. 

But Jonah’s Monster Mash / Reptilicus cover was definitely out of the Joel Robinson playbook. 

25:00 - Can someone tell me if that Dane blonde, scientist daughter has a single daughter along the R line? And that wound looks like pudding. Just saying it looks like delicious reptile pudding.

27:00 - Ok the skit break is this kaiju monster rap. The bots, particularly crow are more animated. He’s able to move his arms around now.

The song itself is way different from the original series. Which I’m giving it a thumbs up. It fits well into the original ethos. Its catchy, fun. Its a good update. Nice work modern MST3k writers.

32:00 - One thing I’ve noticed is the actual filmic quality of the movie. In the old MST3k’s you could still see the scratches and dust, and the warping. It looks like that this is a restored film. 

Its not awful or really a distraction. But its just something I noticed as a long time fan.

35:00 - Dickweed. It makes me laugh every time.

36:00 - Of course the goofus stuck his hand in the electric eel tank. You know comedy. It had to happen. Like the sun rising, and the rain falling in the amazon.

38:00 - I wish netflix would have some way that it counts up instead of down. It would make my life easier here.

Another “commercial break” I was wrong, in the new series its Moon 13 and Patton Oswalt gave a fun fact about the doors. The house band is playing at the same time. Its very Svengoolie.

39:00 - Xanadu reference. Not sure how many youngin’s would get it. I barely do because my dad had a bootleg VHS tape. 

It was awful.

41:00 - I was about to say a lot of the jokes are falling flat, but when that scientist “screamed” and one of the guys dubbed it with Opera, that was brilliant. 

43:00 - I get that MST3k was never really about plot when it came to the host and bots. But they seemed to jump into the riffing really quick. I was expecting some sort of intro for Jonah, like he’d ask questions about why he’s there throughout the movie and the bots would fill him in and he’d grow into the host role. 

I think it would have added some sort of dimension to it. But I would get why they would just jump right into it. 

45:00 - Also I’d expect the Mads would show up more by now. Maybe in the next skit sequence?

47:00 - No Mads, but the cloning of Tom Servo in the “genesis tank that’s conveniently off camera” was real classic MST3k. 

So far, Jonah I would say earned his spot. He nailed it. 

Crow, yup classic Crow. 

Tom, well. He’s not awful. He’s funny but I just can’t get past the voice. Kevin Murphy really owned the character. I hope its just matter of getting used to it. Like when Kevin originally took over in Season 2 (I think) of MST3k.

51:00 - Hold on I need a gif of that.. give me a few minutes.

Ok, I couldn’t get a gif. I’ll have to check into that. BUT I did grab a screenshot.

Single handedly this is my most favorite special effect ever.

54:30 - Although another stray observation, when the people are in frame, the film is alright. Like no scratches (for the most part) but when the monster is up it looks like someone went through it with sandpaper. 

Which lazy bastard only did half a restoration?

55:00 - It feels like Tom should have had that ability to fly all along. His bottom always reminded me of a hovercraft.

56:00 - Yup the commercial breaks definitely is reminiscent of Svengoolie, Paton Oswalt should just show up on that set one day as TV’s Son of TV’s Frank. 

It would be some great cross promotion.

BTW, go watch Svengoolie. Its not as funny as MST3k, but it’s really charming and fun.

Occasionally they show a good movie. Which I guess defeats the point, but whatever.

60:00 - We’re about at the halfway point. So far, I will admit the new MST3k is... I don’t want to say a worthy successor but Joel Hodgson really did something special. This definitely feels in place with the originals. Almost like it never went away. 

I do want more Mads for this episode. Where are they?

62:00 - How did they get letters? This is like the first episode in almost 20 years. How many 8 year olds could sit still long enough to watch reruns? Aren’t they making methlabs and sexting? 

63:00 - Just a note, I know nothing about modern children.

71:00 - Have you ever wondered why Kaiju are impervious to tank shells? Think about it, they’re designed to punch through concrete, steel plating, etc. I don’t think they’d have a problem with reptile skin, prehistoric or otherwise.

74:00 - Another thing I noticed is that the guy and the bots are more animated compared to the originals. They’ll move around, fly by, bring in barrels to interact with the screen. 

I know the originals did similar, but it seems to be more frequent here. Its not unwelcome. Its actually nice.

77:00 - Another commercial break. Its a TV seal of quality with the Moon 13 house band. I’m still liking them.

Patton talked about how Kinga established some TV group, probably to make profit. 

Its not so much how the joke was clever, I just liked how they used that to add some background of the world of MST3k. Because we really don’t know much about it, besides the SOL and Deep 13 and such. 

I never thought it was missing, but now that I’ve seen some glimpses into the surrounding world I am interested in learning more. Does the world know about the Forresters? Have they always run in secret? Or they make their intentions known and the government is powerless to stop them. Who is the government there anyway?

Are they considered brilliant or total fuck ups? Are they part of something bigger? Like SMERSH or the illuminati or something?

78:00 - They’re freaking out about getting a gallon of some sort of lizard knock out drug. Do Danes know how much a gallon is? It’s not that much, if it was like an oil drum’s worth then you got problems.

80:00 - The gallon is really just a beaker. So I guess Danes don’t get the imperial system after all.

83:00 - Seriously the guy playing Crow is really good. If I close my eyes I’d have a hard time telling the difference between him and Trace Beaulieu.

Although I noticed the mouth movement on Crow isn’t as pronounced as it was in the originals. Its a little detail, but it went a long way in figuring out who was talking.

85:00 - Monster’s dead, yay I guess.

86:00 - “Push the button Max” doesn’t have the same cachet as “Push the button Frank.” But I’m glad they brought that back.

87:00 - The end credit song sounds like it was made with a real orchestra. It gives it some gravitas. Its rather lovely. 

88:00 - They’re repeating the monster rap. Not bad, still cute. 

89:00 - Wait, in the end credits, They gave the proper name for the Moon 13 House Band, they’re called “The Skeleton Crew.”

I like Moon 13 house band better.

90:00 - Nice touch--

And of course--

The end tag. Its nice to see some old standbys come back.

Final Thoughts - 

I suppose if you really wanted to you could say its worse or better than the originals. I guess its like how you wanted to fight over Joel vs Mike. 

They’re different. They had their own styles, and they were very funny in their own way. 

MST3k The Return is a lot like that. There’s enough elements of the originals that it feels familiar, but stylistically its been updated. I personally think its a good thing. 

With the bigger budget, and more modern delivery I feel a lot of the fun, DIY, anarchic, lo-fi qualities that was so mind blowing about the original show is very much here. 

I like the new cast, except for Wil Wheaton (fuck you Wesley Crusher), and I think they’re as charming and clever as the previous casts. Just... different.

So if you loved the originals as much as I did, I definitely think its worth binging with your kids. Personally I plan to make this a Saturday morning thing like I did way back when.

One last last thing. From what I saw of the preview for the next episode it looks like Pearl, Bobo, and Brain Guy are visiting. Hopefully Mike shows up too.

I. Can’t. Wait.

[63824peace]

Monday, 7th of november 2005

Another world exists that I must experience. A genus of people exists who I must meet. I must inhale the air they breathe--share their world at all costs.

I must do these things... I must.

We have equipped ourselves with basic military instructions and hands-on training in order to produce MGS4. Mr. Mori and several other instructors have assisted our preparations many times and has provided instruction on psychological war tactics too.

But it's not enough. That knowledge merely simulates the truth. We can't possibly experience the reality of war, but we should be able to approach it.

We must meet the people who put themselves in mortal danger. That's the keystone of our self-imposed MGS4 training: we must experience the battlefield.

We have planned since November to gather these materials. We've always intended to go all the way.

We're not going to a live war site of course. We're not even getting close to one. We intend to interview people connected with the battlefield and the military training facilities.

Unfortunately, terrorism alerts are increasing. All governments will no doubt tighten security measures for their borders and their military facilities. We're planning to go to places that have been assigned the world's highest terrorism alert level. We have finalized all the negotiations and travel arrangements, but regrettably we must give up right now. We no longer live in pre-911 times like we did during MGS1.

I really wanted to have this done before winter arrived, but there's no point insisting anymore. We'd just wind up butting heads with the security treaty, you know. The efforts of KojiPro's staff and our local contacts have come to no avail. We're stuck with sad results.

I want to try again next spring, depending on how the situation looks. I doubt that the security level will decrease though.

We still need to go. We need to see the real thing... we need to feel it. We can't avoid the realities of war as long as we're making games about the battlefield.

We had planned MGS4's supplementary X-Training for December. We modified our schedule and moved X-Training to a future date.

We only intended to absorb a wide and shallow breadth of information from the basic instruction and hands-on training. X-Training involves the highest level of professional and technical instruction yet, so I need to limit the number of participants from our staff.

Today we selected the flight suit that we plan to use during part of X-Training. Toyopy and Shin-chan tried them on.

I decided to try out the flight suit that Toyopy wore.

We spent the morning in KojiPro's usual internal meeting. I didn't have time to go out for lunch, so I settled for a sushi bento.

There's an executive meeting at Konami's head office this afternoon. That's why I came to work in a suit today.

I usually wear casual clothes to the office. I wear a suit maybe two or three times a month, and usually only when I need to meet with the head office.

It's nice to wear a suit once in a while. It can restrict some body movement, but it makes me feel as though I'm part of society. I feel a sense of security because I've conformed to the standards of the rest of the world.

I try as hard as I can to behave like a salary-man whenever I ride a train while wearing a suit. I strain to imagine myself strictly as a salary-man, and I enjoy it as much as I can. I hold onto a ceiling strap for balance, and I join everyone scrambling for a seat.

I sometimes sing karaoke when I wear a suit. I wear my tie around my head like a bandana and play a caricature of other drunk salary-men. They call me a game designer, but part of me will always be a salary-man.

I sent my Kamen Rider article to Hyper Playstation2 magazine. It will appear on November 30. I am so passionate about Kamen Rider yet I had difficulty organizing my thoughts for the article. My feelings are too strong to rein easily into ordered expression.

After Wednesday I will be in Seoul for Korea's G-STAR.

I'll meet with Director Park Chan-Wook on November 9. We decided my plans in a hurry, so I had to find a copy of his latest film fast. I want to watch it before we meet. I couldn't fit the movie into my schedule during last month's Tokyo International Film Festival, so I never saw it.

I asked him to send me a copy of Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. The DVD arrived from Korea, but it's in Korean with English subtitles.

"There's no way I'll be able to understand this!"

Just as I was thinking about it, Toshiba Entertainment kindly sent me a copy with Japanese subtitles.

The film will run in Japanese theaters starting on November 12. I'll watch it again on a large theater screen once I return from Korea.

I'm a huge fan of Director Park. He's only one day older than me. I'm looking forward to a lot of good movie conversation.

People need to take one of Metro Hat's long escalators to enter Roppongi Hills from the subway station. Two escalators move people up, and another one moves people down. Each escalator takes about fifty-five seconds per one-way trip.

I always observe the people who pass by when I ride an escalator. I'll never see most of them again, so I imagine a lot of things about their lives... about the day ahead of them. I craft the drama as I like... I emotionally react to my imagined stories, laughing or crying. I do the same thing whenever I see inside an apartment building or a house while I'm riding the train.

People who ride the escalator on the way to work glance around, and so do the holiday tourists. Most of them usually look up at the information display, an advertisement, or the Metro Hat stairwells.

"Wait a minute... I think I've seen this scene before...."

I remember the 1970 Universal Osaka Expo. I think of the Tree of Life sculpture that was encased within the Tower of the Sun. The escalator tunnel's infrastructure seems similar... the escalator flows through the Metro Hat stairwell like the Tree of Life filled the Tower of the Sun.

After leaving the subway, I mount the long escalators at the transfer station. As before, two escalators move up and one moves down. Each trip takes fifty-five seconds.

I observe the people who I pass here as well. At least a third of them talk on their cell phones or read email, and some of them even type email.

The morning commute is just the same... so are holidays. It's a pretty convenient time to check messages.

You might wonder why everyone's so distracted with personal items down here. People can find all sorts of interesting public information and sights to look at in the Hills above. The transfer station has nothing.

Still, why is everyone watching their personal screens and the advertisements? Why aren't they more interested in the people close by?

I spend that precious minute enjoying my inner self. I stop breathing, close my eyes, focus my thoughts upon one point, and go from there. I have already expended the special energy needed to dive into myself today. I have nothing left to do except observe other people. I'm never bored when I watch them... I use them to develop a variety of dramas.

Tons of plots and stories lie scattered throughout the long escalator.

The NHK national television channel featured the Da Vinci Exhibition on their Italian Language Lesson program--the very exhibition I attended earlier. Because it was broadcast on NHK they didn't go out of their way to specify the materials' location. They merely ran a bland subtitle across the telop that read "Roppongi."

Oddly enough, the Hills didn't look like the Hills when broadcasted on television. Did the Italian context inflect the Hills with an unknown Italian atmosphere?

It may sound tautological, but Da Vinci and the Italian language really go hand-in-hand.

The reverse-scripted Italian and the spoken language suit each so other well, I can't help but wonder if translation would strain the writer's soul from the words.

HIDEOBLOG has been translated into English since a few days ago. It has been hosted on the site during a trial period for overseas readers. We have done this in response to a great demand from overseas.

I'm skeptical nevertheless.

I asked people working in a few magazines' editorial departments. Most of them affirmed my skepticism. They said that my writing and my words are no longer HIDEOBLOG once they become translated. HIDEOBLOG's beauty comes from the intimacy of expression--Hideo Kojima can communicate his words and feelings to his readers.

HIDEOBLOG isn't a novel with a plot.

I write HIDEOBLOG as a private diary before proofing it as a blog. I update my diary daily, so it is unpretentious, unguarded writing.

Think of it as similar to a poem or a prose poem.

Only information will remain if the tone and the rhythm change. HIDEOBLOG will become nothing more than daily news once it has been chewed, digested, and processed into English. HIDEOBLOG should stay as it is.

I agree with all this. Then again, people living in foreign countries cannot understand Japanese.

What should I do?

[theseoglossary]

How To Use Blog Commenting To Maximum Effect – Are You Looking At Them The Wrong Way

Blog commenting has always had it’s place in the tool box for an SEO. It has a bit of a chequered history, and recently (the last 2 or 3 years) the benefit they actually have to an SEO campaign has polarised much of the industry. Inherently a blog comment on a blog has a positive impact both for the blog and the commenter. They are simply to create and add a backlink. Because of this it wasn’t long before creative gurus were developing software to build comments en masse. Popular software that can do this include SENuke or GSA Ser. Quickly blog commenting gained a reputation as being overly spammy. 35,000 comment links to your site will do that!

I still use comment links all the time. IMO, it’s not if, but how you use them.

What Is A Comment Link?

Most blogs have a section at the bottom of a post for adding a comment. The foundation idea is to engage with the author of the post and interact with the blog. Inherently this is a good thing. It’s shows the blog post is quality content, people are taking interest, and interacting, and it further produces user generated content for the blog. When you add a comment, many times there is a field to add a URL, or even add a naked URL or HTML in the comment text field. When the comment, is published, it creates an inbound link to your URL. Links can be a mixture of both do-follow and no-follow, and also either be indexed or not indexed. There is a pretty good explanation here on that.

So wouldn’t it make sense that if you comment on a quality post that is relevant to your website, that it should be beneficial as an inbound link. Absolutely. I cringe when I hear people say that blog comments don’t work anymore, and will even hurt your site. Yes that can be true if used in the wrong way.

The way I used them is two fold. First  I want a quality comment, then I want to build authority and trust thought that comment to my site. So the first thing is, you need to know how to find quality blog posts to comment on.

How To Find Quality Blog Posts To Comment On

You can use manual search string queries to achieve this, but it’s easier to use a free cheap tool to do this for you. DropMyLink.com is a fantastic free tool that’s easy to use. 

For this example I’m using the comment software Intense Debate (the reason for this will be made clear later on, but with my strategy it’s very important). The other comment software I target in this strategy is Disqus.com. To clarify, there are a number of different comment systems that bloggers can use on their websites. Intense Debate can be targeted with DropMyLink. Disqus is not integrated into DropMyLink, but I’ll show how to find these later in the article.

How Filter The Blog Comment Urls

DropMyLink will generate a search query string in Google for the criteria you have set. Each of the URLs delivered, theoretically should have a section to add a comment, in this case using the Intense Debate system.

When I first started chasing comments, I simply used the DA and PA parameters as shown in the image above, to determine the quality of a blog post. The days I get much more granular. The blog post must be highly relevant, have some authority, and I’ll generally do a further audit for the page and site using SEMRush or Ahrefs.com. I want to know that the blog post has some quality. Another quick check is how many other comments the post has. If it has over 100 I’ll probably pass, as it can be and indication of comment spam (bad neighborhood). I want to see a few comments already as then I know the page is getting traffic and is somewhat engaging.

Adding The Comment

So if you’ve never implemented comment linking before, it’s pretty easy to assume that you just simply add the comment and move on to the next.  In this example, we are only wanting to use blogs that host comments with wither IntenseDebate.com or Disqus.com.

The reason I like using these two platforms (and this is the key to the whole strategy) is that both have a profile dashboard. Just like anyother profile dashboard, you can add a heap of information and other links, plus all blogs you’ve commented on will be linked as well.

Here are example dashboards of both:

IntenseDebate.com

Disqus.com

A Disqus.com profile includes a “nofollow” URL. IntenseDebate has a “follow” tag on the outbound link to your other properties including your website.

Disqus Profile Indexed In Google

Comment Stacking

If you’ve following this post all the way through, you may of had that “light bulb” moment already. But some of you may be asking, “ok that’s great, but how does is benefit my site?”

The reason I like this strategy is firstly I can go and simply find high quality, highly relevant blogs to post a comment and add a link back to a profile quickly and easily, which then links out to my site or properties. Both IntenseDebate and Disqus are highly trusted sites in their own right. IntenseDebate.com has a Moz DA of 76, and an ahrefs DR of 64, and Disqus.com has a DA of 97, and a DR of 79.

So essentially, as you accumulate comments and start to build the profile with highly relevant content (from the comments), you end up with highly relevant, quality comment links, inbound to the profile page which is also highly relevant and trusted, which then links to your website or other properties. You could almost call it “comment syndication”, or comment stacking.

With both platforms, you also have the option to just leave your website link as you would with any other comment platform, so if you don’t want to link through the profile you don’t have to.

So in my humble opinion, I certainly don’t believe comment linking is dead. It just requires a little more tought and context. With all SEO strategies, you sometimes need to block out the noise and work it through rationally yourself first before you form an opinion.

[63824peace]

Wednesday, 2nd of november 2005

I am not a maiden--I am a man. Yet I am an Otome-za, one born beneath the astrological sign of the Virgin.

I only bear this trait because I was born on August 24. If I had been born a few days later, I would have been born under the Lion. When I was a boy I would lie that I was a Leo. Obviously, Leo sounded better than Virgo. My boyhood friends used to say, "Hide-chan, you're a Leo? Lucky!" They envied my lie.

Kids think that Leo is cooler than livestock constellations such as Taurus the Bull, Aries the Ram, and Capricorn the Goat. They likewise prefer Leo to smaller animal constellations like Pisces the Fish, Cancer the Crab, and Scorpio the Scorpion.

I don't care about that stuff anymore. After all, I'm forty years old. Today I think that an Otome-za is just as fine as anything else under the heavens.

I turned on the television news this morning and noticed a program called Today's Horoscope. This really irritated me. I don't want someone else to decide my day's future so early in the morning.

For me it's not an issue of belief or disbelief. I simply don't want to hear anything like, "Virgos should expect such-and-such things to happen." It will haunt me throughout the day.

I usually take a bathroom break or busy myself otherwise whenever Today's Horoscope starts. I don't mind hearing my fortune if my star is in a good position, but I feel terrible all day if the outlook is dour.

I was too slow this morning. I heard my horoscope.

According to the program, Virgo currently holds the fourth position among the twelve zodiacal signs. That's certainly not bad-but neither is it particularly good. I would have been quite nervous had I needed to deliver our "sons" to Aoyama today.

However, I received the advice, "You should eat ramen today." So I walked to the restaurant Gogyo in Tokyo's Nishi Azabu district. I hadn't been there in a while. I ordered a jumbo-sized ramen in scorched soy sauce, with a bowl of rice and chashao topping.

I can't deny that today's horoscope floated through my mind. I thought that Fortune might smile upon me if I ate ramen. After all, that's what my horoscope recommended.

I ate with high hopes for good tidings. Then I splashed and stained my shirt with soup from my scorched soy sauce ramen.

Is this supposed to be a sign of good luck?

I bought a copy of Yusaku Matsuda: the Complete Collection at the bookstore. The book used to sell only online, so it's a pretty rare find. Now they're reprinting it to sell in stores.

Mr. Yusaku Matsuda is greater than an actor or a celebrity idol... he is one of my generation's heroes. I esteem him as highly as Steve McQueen. I was attracted to more than just his performance and his looks. I admired his whole way of life.

I wonder if we'll ever see an actor like him again. The thought occurs to me every time I turn a page, see his picture, or read his words.

He flew from this world so young... he was only thirty-nine years old. I suddenly realized that I'm already older than him.

We held our second brainstorming session for the new project.

...what? Shinta and the prospective future director are absent.

Okamura apologized. "They've been working hard these days."

So what did yesterday's parting words even mean?! My thoughts clicked to the fact that the Virgin holds the fourth zodiacal slot.

I had no choice then but to enter the glass room with Okamura and Murashu, and Murashu isn't even involved with the project. At that point only four people (including myself) knew the project's details. I started explaining the outline to Murashu.

Now five people know about it. I'll limit my number of confidantes to these five only. It's better to involve only a few people. When we create a game, we must protect the core idea above everything else.

We conversed for about an hour. The project has an original concept as well as a deep technical side. We naturally focused our conversation on the technical aspects. We need to develop the concept and the technological feasibility independent of each other. I'll test the concept along with the actual program once our missing team members return.

By the end, our meeting had turned from a brainstorming session into a presentation of the idea to Murashu. I asked his opinion, and he said, "Looks interesting." His eyes sparkled.

In my experience, mediocre projects are usually accepted and admired during their drafting stages. Really original projects receive a lot of skeptical criticism. The Metal Gear Solid games and Boktai were ripped to pieces at first.

Maybe this project won't turn out so well after all.

Something good happened while I ate ramen. Ms. Ayumi Kinoshita visited my office to cover a story for GS Satellite. They will publish the story in mid-November.

We haven't seen each other since TGS a little over a month ago. She has changed her hair style since then--she's adopted a more boyish look.

I think that she's prettier like this.

I had her experience the TOBIDAC!D version of herself that will fly out toward our audience.

Let me illustrate the 3D mechanism for HIDEOBLOG's readers. It looks like this without TOBIDAC!D attached.

She gave me her autograph at TGS.

I have mentioned my admiration for Da Vinci on various occasions recently. I know I've mentioned it during interviews and in articles that I've written. The gallery at the Hills has hosted the Leonardo Da Vinci Exhibition since September, and they have Da Vinci's Codex Leicester.

The Mori Arts Center has the authentic Codex Leicester (owned by Mr. Bill Gates) on display. This marks the book's first visit to Japan.

The event was probably precipitated by the influence of the popular novel The Da Vinci Code. Still, the chance to see the Codex doesn't come along often. I can't pass this up. I may never see it again in my whole life if I don't go now.

I want to see it no matter what the cost.

The exhibition will remain open until November 13. For weeks I have said to myself, "The exhibition is just next door, so I can see it any time I please." Then today I reflected on my actual situation. I realized that I wouldn't have much time to see it, due to responsibilities like next week's business trip to Korea. Today is my last chance.

"I'm in a tight spot!"

I panicked.

"Well, all right... it looks like I don't have anything left to do... I only need to walk over and see it now."

I saw Murashu right when I thought this. It occurred to me that we had gone shopping together earlier, and that I've set aside today to spend with him.

Perhaps Murashu ranks fourth in my own destiny like I rank fourth in the Zodiac. The zodiacal fourth rank is neither particularly good nor bad, so Murashu shouldn't bring bad luck... though he certainly won't bring much good fortune either.

Fortunately the exhibition stays open until 10 P.M. during November. I can make it in time even if I leave at this late hour. They probably extended the hours so that people can access the panoramic viewing platform. It's the time of the season for stargazing.

Murashu and I headed to the Da Vinci Exhibition.

The exhibition hall was more crowded than one might expect at this hour. Half of the folks were couples trying to enjoy the shadows for a bit of romance. The other people were legitimate Da Vinci fans.

The real Da Vinci fans came alone, age or sex regardless. They emanated a sort of frenzied, vibrant air from their bodies.

Honestly, I couldn't care less about the handholding couples. The guys are likely preoccupied with thoughts like, "I'll hook up with her tonight for sure!"

I couldn't entirely accept the serious art fanatics' company either. They're a tough bunch. They tended to stick in one place, right in front of the exhibition displays. They hogged the informational areas. They wouldn't give up their places easily. And still... as a Da Vinci lover myself, I felt a strange and deep affection for them when I saw their obstinate passion.

I momentarily fell under the illusion that I was in the Ueno Art Museum rather than the Hills.

I saw the actual Codex Leicester. It's definitely five centuries old. Strong light would damage the materials, so they are kept under soft light for fixed intervals only.

People formed a wall in front of the manuscript while it was lighted. The light snapped off after a fixed amount of time, and then it clicked on again. The process repeated over and over.

The total display consisted of eighteen sheets of paper pressed individually between panes of glass, so that a total of thirty-six leaves were displayed. Each sheet of paper was dimly lit within an individual booth, and then it returned to darkness. The light and darkness alternated at irregular intervals.

Visitors flitted to the lighted booths like moths making shadows out of a light bulb's midsummer gloam. It was pretty difficult to see the pages in sequence.

The exhibition conditions also required reduced humidity and temperature, so it was quite cold. A man needed patience and fortitude to see everything. Once in a while, though, if I stood in front of a darkened booth, the light would turn on as though greeting my presence. Occasionally the intervals of light corresponded with my movement. It must have been coincidental, but I still felt as though I had touched Da Vinci in those moments.

I bought a booklet featuring a replica of the Codex Leicester. I also bought various goods relating to the Vitruvian Man. I love that drawing.

I took my newly purchased replica of the Codex Leicester in hand after I returned to the office. "Perhaps there is something in here written about Hideo," I mused.

I looked among the mirrored script and rough sketches, but of course I found nothing. I couldn't have found what I looked for, and I knew that. I just have this strange delusion sometimes.

I become enamored by handwriting's charm when I look through the Codex Leicester and Yusaku Matsuda: the Complete Collection. Characters penned by hand have distinct expressions. Perhaps those expressions embody characteristics of the person who set the characters in ink... his perception, strength, peculiar idiosyncrasies, emotions, and even his facial expressions. The script evokes an awareness of more than silent words. We can see the visual presence of the ideas behind the writing, and we can hear the sounds behind the words.

Kadokawa Press published a complementary book for the whole MGS mythos in 2004 titled Metal Gear Solid Naked. I wrote the book's preface in my own handwriting. That was head editor Mr. Yano's idea.

I initially protested the suggestion since my handwriting is so awful. Writing by hand makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Encountering the Codex Leicester makes me think now that Mr. Yano had the right idea.

The 21st century will use digital writing preserved on personal computers as its standard archiving medium. The letters appear as they should; they're impervious to fluctuations in light and temperature; and they won't deteriorate in time.

They are practically eternal records… yet they lack charm.

Da Vinci wrote in mirrored characters... he wrote completely backwards. Even though we can't read them easily, the pressure of a pen stroke and the gaps between lines and letters give us a sense of the words' spirits. Da Vinci lives in each drawn character.

As an example of my larger point, suppose that HIDEOBLOG were to go on display after five centuries. I feel disappointed just imagining it... the sentences will line up too perfectly.

Nothing can match the impact of handwritten diaries and articles.

I hope that someone in the future invents a device that can create something akin to handwriting. It should be a digital device that operates like an analog device. It could change the color, shape, and size of the script according to measurements of the writer's emotional and physical condition. I would want this new machine to record the writer's sensations and physical environment in addition to letters.

At night I swam in the gym.

Back at home, I wrote my blog while listening to L'Arc-en-Ciel's album Awake and Hyde's single Countdown.

The day that my horoscope called "fourth rank" concluded without incident. It wasn't that bad, all in all.

Tonight I conversed with Da Vinci, five centuries gone. I sensed that I heard his voice speaking to me....

"Hideo, you don't need to be recognized and fully appreciated just yet. A day will come when you are truly understood. Continue writing HIDEOBLOG until then.

"Come on... it doesn't even need to be handwritten...."