#i’m still on page 140 something so i don’t really know what’s going to happen to them in this book though (and please no spoilers!)

[catastrxblues]

reading tbosas and witnessing all of tigris & coriolanus’ sweet moments just hurts knowing what would eventually be left of them 60 years or so later. this tigris could’ve never thought, in a million years, that she could resent her sweet little coryo so bad that she would actually let out a smile when a girl from district 12 told her that she was going to kill him. and this coriolanus could’ve never ever thought to abandon tigris, one of the only two constant people he had since he was a child, the one who had always cared for him and made him happy. this hurts, i hate that this hurts.

[mittensmorgul]

I posted 3,434 times in 2022

385 posts created (11%)

3,049 posts reblogged (89%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@wigglebox

@dean-you-assbutt-cas-loves-you

@spnscripthunt

@ltleflrt

@mittensmorgul

I tagged 3,384 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#destiel - 608 posts

#the winchesters - 486 posts

#spn fanart - 424 posts

#spnwin s1 spoilers - 409 posts

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#spn script pages - 211 posts

#laugh rule - 154 posts

#signal boost - 112 posts

#smol things - 87 posts

#castiel winchester - 82 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#standing there with a 50-year-old band-aid tin full of mostly ivory and white buttons and pulling out these two? yeah that's magic baybeeeee

I sent 1 gift in 2022

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

the only thing worse than how it starts is how it ends

thanks carlos, having watched all of spn i'm pretty sure you're right about that lololololol

199 notes - Posted October 11, 2022

#4

Hi! What aspects of what we know about the prequel draw you to watch it? I am looking for a silver line in it that would motivate me to watch it because, as of now, I am very wary of the prequel. John and Mary as lead characters along with the final of SPN (heaven ending and they promised canon compliance) is not making me excited. This is not to rain on your parade, I am just looking for a better perspective! Robbie is a bonus but I'm a Casgirl and the prospect of Cas being in it seems dicey :(

Hi hi! I'm happy to help if I can, but I only know as much as any of us still, so I don't know how accurate some of this will be as we begin getting more information. But this is what I know:

-This will be set in the early 1970's. We'll learn more about Mary and her family, which honestly I've wanted to learn more about since 4.03, you know? She was raised hunting and was desperate to get out and live normal, but was clearly a competent and knowledgeable hunter. I would LOVE to know more about her and her family.

-we know it will incorporate the "love story" of John and Mary, and that as you pointed out, it will be canon compliant

-which means they will have to at least acknowledge what the cupid in 5.14 said about how difficult a match the two of them were to make... I am FASCINATED by what Heaven's involvement in their lives was before the events of 4.03.

-this was also the era during which John was in the Marine Corps. He fought in Vietnam. I'm super curious about whether he was protected in some way by having this "destiny" to father the fated vessels, and how that may have influenced his life in general.

-we might get more information about the state of Heaven/angels and Hell/demons prior to the beginning of the run up to the apocalypse. will there be shady stuff revealed about the goings-on there, or are they going to stick more to the mundane/normal hunter life of John and Mary? We just don't know, but this is something that I hope they do choose to explore a little bit.

-I don't know that this will have anything to do with the ending of the original Supernatural series. Unless it's stated up front that Dean is narrating this entire thing *from Heaven,* then I don't know how it would have any bearing on this series.

-I don't know that Cas *won't* ever be a character in this series, but it's not something I'm counting on, you know? He existed in that universe at the time the events will be taking place, but as far as we know outside of taking Dean back to 1973 to "stop it" in 4.03, he wasn't really involved in that era of events on Earth. Of course, he was able to time travel when he had his wings, but also he could've taken another vessel back at that time and interfered with things based on Heaven's orders (and if they were dead set on Cas looking like our Cas, they could present his vessel as Jimmy's father/Uncle/other ancestor and still use Misha as the actor... not saying that WILL happen, but that it COULD, but also i'm going into this not really expecting to see Cas at all, so any Cas we do see would feel like a bonus).

-Robbie Thompson. He's a treasure. He *cares* about canon. He knows the characters, and I trust his writing. He is NOT a John apologist (just the opposite, he has written some scathing critiques of Sam and Dean's childhood... I mean his FIRST episode of the series was Slash Fiction. Please look at his episode list and get a feel for how he sees canon...). And this time, rather than being a staff writer, he's running the show. That alone makes me eager to watch.

-Chaos Machine. A production company run by #1 Dean Stan Jensen Ackles, and #1 Cas Girl Danneel Ackles. But also a company whose first big hire was Renee Reiff, one of the founders of Out In Hollywood, and now the head of development. I'm...really not sure that any of these people are gonna side with folks that loved the series finale and thought it was perfect and a good ending for the characters... how people have gotten that impression from any of this, I just don't know. But I do not think this series is gonna be more of THAT.

-Based on the timing of everything, Jensen likely was in negotiations with WB for the rights to produce programming under the Supernatural banner before the original series was even done filming. We know he was Not A Fan of the ending, and that he has spoken diplomatically and carefully about it for the most part, but his discomfort with the ending is pretty clear. Not many people start a whole entire production company with a long game of eventually making a follow up to the original series.

-in the mean time, Jensen and Danneel are setting out to prove the SPN universe is in good hands. Because there ARE other stories in that universe I would love to hear. Not only Mary's story (because I am REALLY interested in seeing how she grew up and how Dean as narrator relates to that experience), but there are other stories in that universe that would be worth hearing too. The chances of them being able to TELL us those stories likely rest on the success of the Winchesters-- yes, even the potential for them EVER to be able to make an actual 15.20 redux, or a continuation of the original series at all, likely rests on the success of their first venture.

This is a thoughtful, creative bunch of people who WANT DESPERATELY to tell us more stories in the Supernatural Universe.

There are people who obviously will not care to watch, which is fine and good, but literally we do not know any more than what I stated above, and some of that is even speculation and guessing. I'm just exhausted by people who already believe they know what this show will be about and have decided to pre-hate it for their convenience.

Some parts of this fandom are just so fucking exhausting.

Will we love it? WHO KNOWS?! IT IS A MYSTERY! We don't even know who will be cast as Mary and John-- or anyone else in the series! We just do not know what the story is yet! Can we at least wait until then to decide to love or hate it?!

I'd love to at least give Jensen, Danneel, and Robbie the benefit of the doubt here...

227 notes - Posted February 5, 2022

#3

“bikini area”

(source)

243 notes - Posted February 7, 2022

#2

8.17 Call Sheet and Sides now up on the @spnscripthunt​

What broke the connection? Dean forgives him and loves him, and Naomi forced him to choose. He chose Dean.​

277 notes - Posted February 17, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

love that millie’s rule was telling henry “i love you” after they have a disagreement, or anything

and that’s her big regret, not getting to tell Henry “i love you” before he disappeared

everyone, please shriek loudly with me

374 notes - Posted October 18, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[percabeth4life]

Nico and Percy

Okay so I’ve received a lot of asks about Nico and Percy and how Percy treated Nico and someone else sent me a link to a post that had more stuff.

90% of the stuff I’ve seen is either inaccurate or taken out of context.

Lets start with the choking scene.

This scene happened right after Nico lied to Percy to trick him into coming to see Hades so that Nico could learn more about his mom. They were meant to go to the Styx in order to give Percy the Achilles Curse so they had a chance at winning the war. This resulted in Percy being locked up by Hades.

Nico did not intend for this to happen, but he did knowingly lie to Percy. Percy understandably did not trust Nico after that.

The mountain of darkness loomed above me. A foot the size of Yankee Stadium was about to smash me when a voice hissed: ‘Percy!’

I lunged out blindly. Before I was fully awake, I had Nico pinned to the floor of the cell with the edge of my sword at his throat.

‘Want – to – rescue,’ he choked.

Anger woke me up fast. ‘Oh, yeah? And why should I trust you?’

‘No – choice?’ he gagged.

I wished he hadn’t said something logical like that. I let him go. (The Last Olympian page 60).

As you can see, the initial action was taken before Percy was even awake. After he was awake, and got through his initial anger at the betrayal with Nico’s comment, he released Nico and they escaped.

He acknowledged silently later that he didn’t trust Nico anymore and Nico was aware that his actions meant he wasn’t trusted.

So the choking scene: not Percy being unreasonably cruel to Nico.

Threats is another common thing I see people bring up and... I’m genuinely baffled by that one. The closest I can think of is the scene I quoted above? But that doesn’t seem to fit? Anyone want to quote some threats Percy made to Nico? Because I don’t know any.

Next up! The claims that Percy said they should leave Nico to suffocate. Funnily enough he actually says the opposite, multiple times.

Percy stared at his jelly donut. He had a rocky history with Nico di Angelo. The guy had once tricked him into visiting Hades’s palace, and Percy had ended up in a cell. But most of the time, Nico sided with the good guys. He certainly didn’t deserve slow suffocation in a bronze jar, and Percy couldn’t stand seeing Hazel in pain.

“We’ll rescue him,” he promised her. “We have to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death.”

Is this first time kind? Not necessarily. But it’s certainly not saying to leave Nico. For multiple reasons, he didn’t deserve, Percy didn’t want Hazel to hurt, and (what he says outloud) Nico is an important figure in the war.

Percy also makes a comment later when they feared they’d be too late

The vision zoomed in again. Inside the jar, Nico di Angelo was curled in a ball, no longer moving, all the pomegranate seeds eaten.

“We’re too late,” Jason said.

“No,” Percy said. “No, I can’t believe that. Maybe he’s gone into a deeper trance to buy time. We have to hurry.”

Funny, this doesn’t sound like someone advocating to leave Nico to die. In fact it sounds like someone almost desperate to save him, or at least hoping strongly that they’ll succeed.

Interestingly there were comments about leaving Nico, but not from Percy. They came from Jason and Leo.

“Uh…” Leo shifted in his chair. “One thing. The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we’re walking into a trap?”

Hazel looked at Leo like he’d made a rude gesture. “We have no choice!”

“Don’t get me wrong, Hazel. It’s just that your brother, Nico… he knew about bothcamps, right?”

“Well, yes,” Hazel said.

“He’s been going back and forth,” Leo said, “and he didn’t tell either side.” Jason sat forward, his expression grim. “You’re wondering if we can trust the guy. So am I.”

Hazel shot to her feet. “I don’t believe this. He’s my brother. He brought me back from the Underworld, and you don’t want to help him?”

Frank put his hand on her shoulder. “Nobody’s saying that.” He glared at Leo. “Nobody had better be saying that.”

Leo blinked. “Look, guys. All I mean is—”

“Hazel,” Jason said. “Leo is raising a fair point. I remember Nico from Camp Jupiter. Now I find out he also visited Camp Half-Blood. That does strike me as… well, a little shady. Do we really know where his loyalties lie? We just have to be careful.” (Mark of Athena page 125)

How interesting that they’re the ones making comments about leaving Nico...

Next of course I’ve heard the wonder bread brought up? And I had to key word search wonder bread in the books to figure out what that was about and it appears to be a single thought Percy had while they were trying to rescue Nico.

Nico started to crawl away, groaning. Percy wanted him to move faster and to groan less. He considered throwing his Wonder bread at him. (Mark of Athena page 357)

Percy did not actually throw the bread for anyone wondering, and I hardly see how the panicking thought of trying to get them all out of there and keep Nico from being noticed by the people he was escaping from is even something for you to hold against him.

Finally the thing I hear the most, Percy calling Nico creepy and spreading rumors.

Creepy is used in MoA 5 times, in HoH 2 times, and BoO 8 times.

In MoA it’s used by Percy once, and that time is describing Persephone’s garden, not Nico. This comment is also only made in his thoughts, not outloud.

Funnily enough Leo does mentally refer to Nico as creepy in MoA

Nico and Hazel shared a look, maybe comparing notes on their Hades/Pluto death radar. Leo shivered. Hazel had never seemed like a child of the Underworld to him, but Nico di Angelo—that guy was creepy. (Mark of Athena page 396)

In HoH it is used once by Jason in regards to Nico, not at all by Percy.

Nico gave him a thin, creepy smile. ‘Ah … that legend.’ (House of Hades page 164)

In BoO it’s actually used by Nico about himself.

By now, Will Solace realized just how creepy and revolting Nico di Angelo was. Of course, Nico didn’t care what he thought. But still …  (Blood of Olympus page 317)

And once by Reyna about Nico

Reyna had stitched up the gashes on his biceps, which gave Nico a slightly creepy Frankenstein look, but the cuts were still swollen and red. (Blood of Olympus page 140)

So uh, no Percy did not call Nico creepy. And I have found no evidence of Percy spreading rumors so like with the threats, feel free to find me quotes proving that claim.

Concluding all of this I will point out that prior to book 5 (TLO) Percy was doing everything in his power to find Nico and protect him. After book 5 Percy only had one physical altercation with him (when he was half asleep and right after the betrayal occurred) and otherwise did not hold it against him beyond having his trust broken. As time went on we know from Percy’s thoughts that he doesn’t trust Nico, but he makes no comments saying such and agrees to help rescue him and does everything he can to do so.

Their conflicts are understandable due to their history. Percy’s feelings on Nico are complicated but understandable and he has not let it interfere with their jobs, if anything it interfered in a negative way making them risk the quest to save Nico (though Nico was a key figure needed to succeed in the end).

Overall I don’t know where these claims come from beyond people wanting to find issues with Percy (to the point they make stuff up).

[dropintomanga]

“Look Back” - 140 Pages of Raw Emotion

Koyoharu Gotoge gets all the attention right now, but the real manga superstar of the future (or soon-to-be) is Tatsuki Fujimoto. His previous known works, Fire Punch and Chainsaw Man, have developed passionate followings. But his one-shot about creativity and the bonds that form as a result, Look Back, solidifies Fujimoto as one of the very best in depicting real human emotions during terrible moments.

Look Back focuses on the artistic journey of Ayumu Fujino, a 4th grader who loves to draw manga. She draws comic strips for her school newspaper. However, Fujino sees that a fellow peer of hers, Kyomoto, draws even better than her. Fujino becomes more determined to be better than Kyomoto. However, family and peer pressure causes Fujino to change her priorities during 6th grade. It isn’t until she is asked by school staff to deliver Kyomoto’s elementary school graduation diploma to the latter’s house that she gets back into drawing manga again. Fujino draws something on a blank 4-panel strip she finds at Kyomoto’s place. Kyomoto, who’s a shut-in, sees the strip and tells Fujino that she’s been a fan of her art since 4th grade. Fujino becomes ecstatic in seeing her work recognized after constant criticism from her peers. Fujino and Kyomoto begin to work together on manga since then. Both got recognized by Shueisha multiple times over the years to the point of having one of their works becoming an anime series.

Shortly after the anime announcement of one of their works, a rift between the two starts to happen when Kyomoto tells Fujino that she wants to go to art school to get better at drawing. Fujino argues that Kyomoto’s social aloofness is too much for the rest of the world and that it’s better for Kyomoto to stick by her. Kyotomo still goes to art school regardless. Years after their separation, Fujino watches the news one day and finds out that someone attacked the art school Kyomoto attended with multiple dead victims. Kyomoto was one of them. Fujino begins to criticize herself for Kyomoto’s death, but after visiting Kyomoto’s drawing space and seeing how much Kyomoto loved her, Fujino continues to draw as a way to move forward.

I can’t speak on the creative process of a mangaka and mangaka relationships (though I know several mangaka have commented on Look Back for its honest take of being a creator), but I can definitely comment on Fujino blaming herself for Kyomoto’s death. “Drawing is useless,” she says. Fujino imagines a scenario where she saves Kyomoto from her attacker. Fujino was once told by her older sister to practice karate and she feels that maybe she should’ve taken it more seriously. What if she didn’t draw that strip back in 6th grade? What if Fujino and Kyomoto actually met during the art school incident instead of 6th grade?

Those “What ifs?” get shown in vivid detail. And it’s heart-wrenching. There’s always constant reminders to treasure those around you because you never know what will happen. It’s hard to do that sometimes when certain cultures always avoid issues like death and the inevitability of it all like they’re not worth talking about. Also, I think we’re always told that we can save someone if we tried hard enough. If they never get better, society will say that it’s our fault. No one wants to talk about how random life gets. That’s because no one wants to admit that they can’t control everything.

The most powerful moment was Fujino realizing that drawing isn’t useless. She notices a small strip at Kyomoto’s place while in grief. This panel says it all.

It’s nice to have someone with the same interests as you be your friend. But more importantly, it’s even nicer to have someone who literally gives a shit about you. Someone’s who willing to guide you, take in your pain, and be vulnerable with. Fujino exposed Kyomoto to the outside world during their early mangaka days and Kyomoto expressed her gratitude for that. It’s so hard to find people like that. I mean, if you know you’re about to die, it’s worth knowing that at the very least, you met someone that loved you and got you to feel life was worth it, right? I often hear there are many people who don’t feel they’re truly being heard among their relationship circles. Their connections aren’t as deep as they would like.

What this also says is that if you’re working on something that almost always feels undervalued, there’s always someone out there who will tell you that they are inspired by your work. Maybe I can speak on this a bit. I sometimes feel that blogging is a drag given all the mass attention is going to other outlets. Like why write? Especially on a platform that’s been crapped on the past few years. I realize that this isn’t the case. There’s people who dislike “hot takes/clickbait tiles/news promoting discourse.” I think about what Roland Kelts said about anime discussion in this interview.

“What sucks is that the discourse on social media is so coarse. When you go back and read exchanges between diehard anime fans on Usenet and old chatrooms and forums from the mid-2000s, they read like middlebrow literature compared to what you see on Twitter, Reddit, and Discord. So many social media posts are made just to get hits, not to communicate or share ideas, and the most provocative, cruel, or just plain daft stuff gets liked and retweeted a thousand times.”

I feel that there’s still a place for me and if I can still communicate ideas worth thinking about, I’ll keep going as long as I can. Plus, trying to appeal to everyone feels like a trap because it sometimes requires sacrificing certain core values that you might hold dear. When I look at Fujino and Kyomoto, they held on to their core values and found solace in one another. Just find “good enough” people who are willing to love and respect you. I’m glad Look Back got published because finding bonds with other like-minded folks and developing very close relationships with them is sadly a rarity during these times. You also can’t put monetary worth on creativity that inspires people to do what they want to do and/or find reasons for living. Hobbies and creative ventures aren’t “side hustles/distractions” - they’re part of a universal cry to be human.

I think it’s safe to to say that we will really look back on this one-shot for years to come.

[eponinemylove]

Headcanons about the Andrew( and the foxes) figuring out some of the fucked up things Neil’s mom did. Like I’ve always had a head canon that she is the reason he says he’s fine all the time

for sure! I have a lot of feelings about Mary Hartford. I want to say that if the conversation does ever manage to come up, Neil would immediately jump to his mother’s defense. We see everything she did through his memories of her, and while we can recognize it as abuse, Neil still thinks of her fondly. She was the only family he really had, and in his eyes, everything she did was out of necessity, if not love (CW: abuse)

(side note, I’ve briefly talked about aaron’s reaction before as part of a different post, and I stand by that. I’ve also brushed upon the subject of Mary and Neil being “fine” when I did a sort of sickfic hc!)

let me just start by saying how awful this news would be for the foxes. Like, it’s awful in general because what she did was fucked up, but their poor hearts… They managed the Nest. They managed Baltimore. They managed Drake (although that was Andrew’s past not Neil’s, they were still there for the murder and everything that followed). They have been through heartbreak after heartbreak for this kid who not only went through these things but thought, on some level, that he deserved them. So they really can’t take finding out that his mother—who Neil openly condones—is also one of his ghosts. They can’t take finding out that she’s partly the reason why he doesn’t swing, why he can’t trust, why he runs and hides and lies, why he doesn’t think he can have this. And if that wasn’t hard enough, to find out that Neil thinks this is okay, that this is fine—it’s too much to handle.

Andrew’s first reaction, predictably, is murder. This doesn’t quite work out for him, as Mary’s already dead, but the urge he feels to drain the life from her himself is frankly concerning. The second the words are leaving Neil’s mouth, the second all his suspicions are confirmed (because let’s be real, Andrew knew someone had hurt Neil, and his father had been too many steps behind him to cause that much damage), he sees red. Full on, knives out, burning rage. He’s shaking with it. You can tell he’s feeling an emotion, because he’s not grumbling about anything. He’s gone into quiet rage, the dangerous kind, in which he silently plots all the ways he can gruesomely arrange your departure from existence.

for a split second, the upperclassmen think that his anger is directed at Neil, and they subtly move in to block him from Andrew’s war path. This works out well for no one, because Andrew needs Neil in his line of sight right now to know he’s safe and here, and anyone who even thinks of touching this boy after what he’s just confessed to happening to him is getting stabbed. Repeatedly. It’s not their fault for assuming, though. They saw what happened with him and Aaron after this sort of thing, and they just want to shield Neil from that fallout. He’s been through enough

The only thing that manages to calm him down even somewhat is Neil himself. He holds Andrew’s gaze, doesn’t hide under it. He looks him straight in the eye. He is fine, now. He isn’t hurt. He’s with Andrew, and Andrew is going to keep him safe, and Mary is dead, and there’s nothing for them to fight anymore.

except there is, there is, because Neil is stupid. Neil is an idiot who doesn’t know the meaning of the word fine, who has never been fine a day in his life. this was never okay. he’s worse than Aaron, because at least Aaron came to his senses eventually. but Neil, even after everything, is still standing there, defending her. it makes his blood boil. 140%. 170. 200.

Later, Andrew has to physically restrain himself from pulling him into a bruising kiss. He makes a tangible effort to be as gentle with Neil as he can, because he refuses to show him that love should be rough. It shouldn’t. He holds Neil’s hand and kisses his knuckles, runs his hands softly through his hair. He shows him all the way touches should feel when coming from someone you trust. Neil thinks it isn’t necessary but he accepts it with a stuttering heart anyway. His hands shake.

Aaron is seething, but for an entirely different reason. He’s furious, because how does Neil not realize that they’re the exact same? Neil gave him so much shit when he was upset over his mother, but now he has the audacity to stand here and spout this crap? The only thing holding him back from beating the shit out of Josten himself is Andrew’s presence, radiating wrath from beside him. If he took a step in the wrong direction, his brother might genuinely kill him this time. It doesn’t matter. Neil went on and on and on about how Andrew was protecting him, how his mother was not someone who loved him but someone who hurt him, and how he should be glad she’s gone. And… and then this? No. No. Neil doesn’t get to love his mother after that. Mary hit him. She beat him to a pulp herself, nevermind what she said she was protecting him from. He wasn’t allowed to have friends, to talk to people, to go outside. He wasn’t allowed to speak. He’d had to keep his head down. Yeah, it sounds familiar. It sounds like Aaron’s quiet footsteps around the house, hoping to god he wouldn’t wake up Tilda. It sounds like him trying not to make himself seen when she came home after a night of using, like ducking his head and not meeting the eyes of her or anyone she brought home. It sounds like her fists on him when she was in one of her moods. It sounds really fucking familiar, and if Neil thinks he’s going to drop this, he is dead wrong.

Neil did not leave well enough alone when it was Aaron. He would not stop rubbing salt on the wound. And it hurt, a lot, but now Aaron is going to do the same. Not just for petty vengeance. Not just because Neil is a dick and this is payback. But because it helped. Aaron and Andrew are not on the same page about the way they feel, but they are about what to do next. Priority one is make sure Neil moves on, make sure he recognizes why Mary was wrong, and why it will never happen again, as long as any of the foxes have a say in it. 

Matt and Nicky have the exact same reaction, which to immediately have their heart shattered. They’re in tears. Matt cares about Neil so, so much, and I know the fandom recognizes this, but I don’t know if people realize how deeply Nicky cares, too. It’s more than just cracking jokes; Neil is one of Nicky’s best friends. They’re going to make damn sure that Neil knows they will love him unconditionally, and that their love does not come heavy-handed. They will support him through this, even if they hate Mary for everything she had conditioned into him. Already they’re planning what they can do to get his mind off of this and get him smiling again as soon as possible. Nicky will probably push Neil harder than Matt, and it will probably be the wrong thing to do, but he’s trying so hard. He’s done this before, with Andrew and Aaron, and as heartbreaking as it was, he continues to do it because he loves them. And he loves Neil, too. Both Matt and Nicky already have adoption papers at the ready, and at this point they’re going to forge the signatures, consequences be damned, if it means Neil gets a happy life. 

Kevin doesn’t have much to say about it when he finds out. I imagine he handles it with all of his usual finesse and sensitivity, which is none. He probably, not too gently, points out that Mary had a job to keep him safe from harm, all harm, and failed spectacularly at it. It’s not exactly helpful, but he does have a point. And when he get Neil alone, he offers to talk to him about it. He may not have been through the same thing, but he’s been through something similar enough. He had no family at the Nest, but at the same time they were the only ones he had, and they weren’t exactly gentle with him at the best of times. Riko and the Master weren’t Mary, but... they weren’t all that different, either. Like everything else, Kevin is there if he needs him. 

Dan and Allison stare him down. They sympathize, they do, because this is awful, but they are not going to give him an inch. They don’t have time to coddle his feelings about his mother, and god help him if they hear an “I’m fine” fall from his lips. They’ll hold him, if he lets them, and they’ll be as soft and gentle as he needs, but they won’t give in to this. They aren’t going to pretend that he’s right–he’s not. HIs mother wasn’t what he remembers. She’s a complicated character. They’re not calling her evil; maybe she did what she had to, and maybe it was for the best. But it wasn’t right. They are steadfast in that. It wasn’t right. Neil can accept that when he’s ready, and when he does they will be there for him, taking care of him in their unassuming way so that he doesn’t feel like they’re walking on eggshells. He’s so grateful to have them. Grateful that they don’t push, but don’t give in either. Some of the strongest people he’s known…

Renee is the one who actually talks him through it. All the others are ready with their pitchforks, about to burn Mary at the stake, but she understands. She walks with him through everything, the good and the bad, and lets him come to his own conclusion. She listens to him when he feels like talking about what is was like, and talks about her own mother when he doesn’t. She shows him, subtly, what a parental figure is supposed to look like through her own stories. Lets him realize that sometimes the people who care don’t get it right, but that there are still others who love you, and that love doesn’t have to come with pain. 

Bonus:

(Ik you didn’t ask, and this is probably too long already, but) Wymack and Abby find out about this indirectly, likely through either Andrew or Matt. Wymack had known from the beginning this would have been the case, but he’d had no idea it had come from his mother. It hurts him, that no one had ever been careful with Neil the way he needed. He doesn’t realize that he had been, though. Wymack hadn’t raised his voice, hadn’t made himself big in front of Neil. He had been careful to keep his anger far, far away and had always been there when Neil needed him. Wymack is his true father. Or mother. Or whatever. 

Abby does what she does with Aaron: she gives him space. She knows that he’s probably never seen a woman in a comforting light before, and she waits to make sure that he’s okay with her presence before she gets anywhere near close to him. She lets him come to her, and, like Wymack, makes sure Neil knows that if she ever gets frustrated, that she would never take it out on him. They start the very slow process of showing Neil what it is like to be loved and cared for by someone who wants only to see you happy. Neil loves his family so, so much. He would choose them a thousand times over. 

[ddamiqn]

so. let’s tackle batfam height (and imo, some misconceptions and fanon.) 

((quick note: i know hcs exist. i know other arguments and analysis on why X Y Z should and is going to happen. i’m taking pure canon--with a bit of guesstimation as u can see, aka logical assumptions based on evidence--right now people, but i know different people can interpret the same thing differently. basically im not trying to attack anyone or make their fanon interpretations invalid. pretty please don’t start discourse or anything, i know and recognize all in all none of this doesnt really matter but . yeah))

tim drake is small. (like 5′4″ and below small) - nope. 

the most recent ultimate character’s guide puts him at 5′6″. 

past versions have put him at 5′4″/5′5″ or whatever, but i’m assuming those are both older in real life and in canon as well, plus are talking about tim when he’s younger. 

someone claims that in current canon tim is 5’9”, 140 lbs instead of his current one of 5′6″ 125lbs,  which honestly makes the most sense to me bc of the below panel, but i cant find a reference. it says its from (Batman Family Vol 2 #5 page 2) but i cant find it?? so thats the only reason why that aint up there. what does back me up is the below tho--  ((from detective comics issue something or other. its part of the gotham knights arc, right after tim comes back from the ‘dead’ aka mr. oz)

cass is 5′5″. he is clearly taller than cass

btw. honestly he should be about 5′11″ here and in my original post on twitter i said he was 5′11″ bc of the nu52 batman beyond, but i don’t have a source for that and i cant find whatever evidence i had for that too.

BUT i know canonly tim ends up 6′0″ in multiple universes such as arkhamverse and future’s end (2016, the most recent rebirth version). so it makes sense tbh

damian will end up tall and stacked like his dad - nope. 

contrary to popular belief and fanon that is taken as canon, damian does not end up tall. 

(tall is relative but when you’re 5′4″ like me that’s tall ok)

i think the reason why so many people hc damian as becoming a big ol tank like his dad is because of batman in bethleham/666 universe and the heretic.

 there’s no given height for him in the 666!verse (but most people assume it’s tall i guess) and the heretic--who is not damian--is 7′4″. reminder the heretic was absolutely nerfed from birth to be a weapon; the same can be said for damian, but he wasn’t altered and dehumanized quite to the extent of the heretic. he also was intubated in the belly of a whale, people. he emerged Huge

in reality, according to the little canon we have about future universes, damian is... actually kinda small. injustice 2 puts him at 5′10″ / 177cm, the same height as canon dick grayson, and when i guesstimated his height in future’s end i got roughly the same thing. see below

bruce is 6′2″ so i made sure he was approx that height, giving me damian’s height of around 5′9″ish. the argument that this is a flashback tho and that he could have still grown (bc i dont think we know if he’s in his late teens/early 20s/stopped growing) i also grabbed a panel from the ‘current’ time aka 5 years in the future.

once again, same dealio except i moved damian down a little bit (a bit too far, actually) after matching bruce up bc they were both on an incline and--ignoring my mistake--damian once again is about 5′10″ish and very clearly not a tank like his dad. he has a body type more like his mama-- slim and lithe.

imo it’s a combination of the body types from his parents, his abusive childhood with the LoA, his multiple deaths and metal spine plus other long lasting injuries that stunt his growth. sure, he was meant to be the paragon of human perfection but, uh, ra’s didn’t account for Trauma points  

summary time, according to canon: 

tim is not teeny tiny. he is 5′6″ and will most likely grow up to be 6′0″. 

damian ain’t gonna be a tank. he’s gonna be 5′10″ at best and as you can see from the above, at the very least slim compared to his baba. 

references include: injustice 2, batman beyond (2016), nu52 future’s end, teen titans of tomorrow, detective comics, ultimate characters guide old + new 2019 edition

((yes i know canon can change + there basically is no real canon, yes i know artists interpret different characters differently and all the other arguments. i’m not saying that you can headcanon tim as small and damian as a future tank, what i’m saying is you can’t claim it’s canon when as of now it’s not.)) 

[partnersatfazbear]

Analysis of The Real Jake (SPOILERS)

I can't decide whether to make this post a stream-of-consciousness style or group it into evidence for x... but since it's easier, I'll just write my thoughts as I go. Although a lot of this is factual ties to, say, FNAF 4, things like relating Margie to Henry are just my own headcanon and you can do with that what you will AKA don't take this all too seriously, but have fun with it. There’s also specific notes about Michael Afton, for those that just want to know what was said regarding him (presumably).

Before I start, please note I've had three hours of sleep in the last... 28 hours? IDK I can't math, especially not on this little sleep. So, there may be errors. I tried to make a note on things I was unsure about, too. 

Note: I wrote this before the Evan=CC theory was all but confirmed. Although I believe this theory from the logbook, I think a lot of these notes are still valid.

Read my notes under the cut:

Margie shares similar physical appearance to Henry: Pg 84 “The window fan blew a lock of her shoulder-length brown hair across her upper lip so it looked like she had a mustache.”

“Mrs. Afton” stand in is mentioned: Pg 86 “...it had been four years since his Mom had died...” (Jake is 9 in the story)

I notice when Scott mentions plaid. Pg 87 “...a green-and-blue plaid plush chair...” I mostly wanted to note this since canonically, Henry had a green plaid shirt.

“William” stand in is mentioned. Pg 89 “And you know he thinks about you [Jake] all the time?” “So, he has to concentrate on what he's doing... ...I don't want him thinking about me and end up shooting himself in the foot or something.” Pg 102 “Yeah, I did. [I spilled some chocolate ice cream] Right on my shirt!” Pg 122 “I did that today! [While playing a DDR like game, breaking a shoelace.]” (Admittedly, I only counted these because I headcanon William is much more of a bumbling fool than he appears. It comes up very often as you can see... although you could write it off as Evan just trying to relate to his kid.)

“William” stand in is mentioned. Pg 92 “...Margie was pretty sure Evan couldn't afford to replace a washer and dryer” and “...Evan, at his rank, could barely afford her” Pg 110 “Gillian's house shared stlying with Evan's, but hers was probably four times bigger.” (Again, I headcanon William and his family is on the low end of middle class, if not lower, in terms of income. Particularly, the house is cramped.)

“Mrs. Afton” stand in is mentioned. Pg 93 “First, Jake's Mom was killed.” Pg 139 “The mom's dead.” (You could infer that she died via something akin to a car crash in the context of the story, however if you reflect it to the games given the commonalities, I like to think of this as confirmation that William murdered her, given the word 'killed' is used.)

Margie records herself on her cell phone. Pg 93 (and on other pages) (Again referencing my headcanon for Henry, in which he records ideas/diaries often. At minimum, Henry is referred to as “Cassette Man” in PizzaSim so... I just thought it could make for an interesting comparison.)

Jake mentions his “friends”. Pg 99 “Patty and Davey... Vic... and the twins... Ellie and Evie... Kyle, Clay, and Garrett” (Also, he isn't mentioned until later, but there's his best friend Brandon, too. I noted these in reference to CC talking about his 'friends', either IRL or the plushies. I assume his IRL friends are the MCI victims. The number doesn't add up though. I really, really wanted to make a connection about the twins, considering Charlie and Sammy are twins, but there wasn't enough evidence to write it off as anything other than a coincidence. Also... Clay, really? We need another double name in this series? Ugh.)

What's your favorite flavor? Chocolate Pg. 102 “What flavor did you get?” “Chocolate. Duh.” (This is a stretch, but it did remind me of Help Wanted's final level in the main game, where you're asked to choose your favorite cake flavor. Although, they're discussing ice cream here.)

Maybe some insight into William's personality? Pg. 103 “You ever do that, Evan?” “What?” “Let off steam.” “Me? No. Steam is pretty much what keeps me going.” (Just more evidence that William is obsessed with his work. You could imply “steam” implies he runs like a machine, but that's stretching a bit.)

Pg. 113 -118 (Jake climbs out of his window to run off to play at the arcade with his friend. Obvious parallel to the child in Midnight Motorist, although it's daytime and no animatronics/fursuits luring him.) There is this, on Pg 121 also. Jake says, “We played all the racing games. I love racing games.”

PURPLE Pg 121 “...did you get a slushie at the arcade? I got one. I got grape. It turned my tongue purple.” “My tongue's purple, too!” “Purple power!” (Uh, do I really need to explain this? I should note that Evan is the one mentioning “grape”. I guess William likes grape flavor and purple.)

'Michael' is mentioned. Sort of a stand in for Michael Afton, but it should be noted that Michael and Evan are brothers in this universe. Pg 126, 127 “Michael...lived in Europe for a few years...” “Michael's a serious dude. He's, well, a little different. He's intense about making money...the way he is about it... can make him seem like he's not human.” “So, he's like a cyborg with bad programming?” Michael has some dialogue: “You must excersize caution. You could get chocolate on my suit, and that would be bad. Very, very bad.” (The very very bad thing is a running joke in the family, which is why this comes up. I don't have a lot to say about it, though. I think Michael [Afton] being obsessed with money seems a bit counter intuitive to how we know him, but who knows? I also want to note that Evan doesn't seem antagonistic towards Michael; in fact, he “hate[s] to ask him for favors”.)

Also, Pg 141 “His [Michael's] flat, gruff voice was unmistakable.” Michael is also the first one to hear his father is dead and informs Margie about it. “I have been notified that Evan's dead.” Pg 142 “She had only met Michael the one time, and she knew the way he processed the world was very different from what was “normal”” Michael also states to Margie: “I've got Evan's will... you're Jake's guardian and he left you the house and some savings. I'm the executor.” Margie also says: “He[Michael]'s a numbers genius, manages money for the wealthy people and has made a killing doing it.” “He's not a bad guy. He just doesn't know how to connect. He doesn't feel the way we do.” (Just more Michael characterization.)

Direct FNAF 4 easter egg references: Pg 128 “...the IV stand lurking in the corner of the room” Pg 129 “...and the line of perscription medication bottles marching across the top of the chest of drawers”

Margie is more than a nanny and possibly in love with Evan: Pg. 139 “She'd come to love Evan, too... like a brother.” Pg 140 “...she was included in the outings, movie nights, game nights, and storytelling time...” Pg 149 “...she wanted Evan to be more than just a boss, and being in his room when he was gone made her feel like a lovelorn stalker.” “Love him like a brother... She snorted. Boy, had she been lying to herself.” Pg 158 “What she was feeling called for a screaming fit or a total mental breakdown.” (Yeah, this is just me reading too much into this for Willry content, haha... But still. I am determined that Margie is a Henry stand-in.)

'I will put you back together' Pg 140 “I'm trying to bring you home whole.” (Evan is discussing “no man left behind” with his son, Jake. I think this is obvious.)

William's home office? Pg. 149 “When he was home, she'd go in and vacuum or put away laundry... ...when he was gone...coming in here felt like an invasion of privacy.” “Evan's room would be her room.” “...I'd feel like I was sleeping in your bed, she thought.” “...the room felt discretely masculine.” “The walls were covered in family photos.” “The shelves were stuffed with fiction... mysteries to classics, nonfiction... how-to books...from rebuilding a car engine to planting a garden.”

FNAF 4 reference. Pg 152 “Outside, a dog barked.” (You can hear a dog barking as ambient noise during nights when playing FNAF 4.)

Other notes:

It happens a lot, but one of the main things in the book is the doll Simon and how Jake talks to it. This is very blatantly a reference to the Golden Freddy Plush (“Psychic Friend Fredbear”). The story confirms it's Jake's father, Evan, talking through it. Although it makes the one scene in FNAF 4 a little wonky (the only scene where we see Purple Guy), I think it's pretty much confirmed that it's William talking to CC now. Obviously, we already suspected this due to Sister Location's “Secret Room”. In this story, Evan says he did it because he wanted to give Jake some hope he would live. Combined with both the IV/medicine bottle easter eggs (in the story and FNAF 4) I think it's plausible to assume that CC was taken home after the Bite of '83 for a period of time before he passed away. I will admit, also, that Evan definetly comes off as a very caring father (in comparison to how we presume William is based on what we've seen of him as a person; although I argued this before on this blog, I don't think William hates his kids. I think he's neglectful, moreso as the story goes on. I think he resents Michael for many reasons but I won't go into that here. I just don't think he's the abusive monster the fanbase interprets him to be—at least not early on.)

The cabinet reminds me a lot of the closets in the novel series. A built in shelf with a doll in it. A doll that represents a child. Considering Margie tends to this doll (see Pg. 130-135), I have to draw more parallels between her and Henry.

The fan is mentioned A LOT. I don't really know why, but I guess we can't help but think of every single FNAF office when it's brought up. Specifically, on Pg. 106, Margie mentions the fan in her room is as loud as a jet engine and the sound made her nervous. Once again, I'm reminded of PizzaSim. Seriously, screw you fan.

The heat is mentioned a lot, too. I know the story takes place in summer, but this did remind me of Pizza Sim.

Pg. 93 “Margie sat down in the faded blue webbed lawn chair that was set up, for reasons she never understood, in front of the shelves by the stairs.” (I noted this because it's specifically called out and I don't know why.)

Margie talks about why she's working for Evan: Pg. 95 “I didn't get the internship I applied for.” I like to think her and Mia (from 1280) were after the same internship. (I may be misremembering, but I'm pretty sure Mia mentioned an internship at the hospital.)

Jake is mentioned to have brown hair, green eyes. His favorite color is green. He also wears green often. I couldn't find anything really interesting about it. It would make more sense as a Puppet reference, tbh (because of the green bracelet (and eyes? I may be remembering wrong) I guess it's also worth noting that Elizabeth has green eyes.

Pg 135 “Are you afraid people will think you're murdering me?” “...I could end you so quickly you'd never make a sound.” (Just an odd conversation between Jake and Margie. Margie is joking here, obviously.) Also, Pg. 136 “I just figured your [Jake's] wires got crossed or your circuits were frying.” (Admittedly, I don't know what to make of this. Could be a reference to Robot-CC, if you believe that or MikeBot [I don't], but more likely just ironic dialogue. It could also reference Jake's future in the Stichwraith?)

Pg 139 “Sometimes, Margie wished she was like one of the robots Jake liked so much.” (Although I can't really compare this to Henry, I did write William with this mindset and thought it was worth mentioning.)

Pg 141+ So, Evan dies overseas (he's a soldier). (I think this could be hinting that William has been springlocked around the time CC passes away. Jake has been home for some time after his diagnosis so we can infer based on that and the easter eggs that CC was brought home to die in peace. At the very least, William's probably very absent during this time. Possibly brought in for questioning but not arrested. I don't know. I feel like there's something to this.)

Pg 154 “Dave's at work.” (Why? Can we not use established names? Aghhh)

Pg 155 “The ambulance arrived at 11:32.” (I don't know why this is stated so outright. I couldn't find a reason, except that a few paragraphs earlier they say it will arrive by noon. I don't know why it's so specific, but I felt like noting it anyway.)

Pg 159 “Five people. Five sets of eyes. And none of them noticed...” (Yeah. We all know how important 5 is in FNAF.)

Three medical personel are mentioned. One at the end is named Nancy [No Last Name Given], but I like to think its a reference to Man in 1280 and we're dealing with Heracles Hospital once more, although it's never said in this story. Speaking of, the only thing that really stood out to me in 1280's story was that a billionare funded the restoration of the hospital. I like to headcanon that was Henry's doing—I imagine him obscessing over overcompensating for his mistakes by giving back in every way possible, even if it isn't directly related to him.

So, this post only took two hours of my life. I hope someone gets some use out of it, be it for my intended Willry purposes or maybe those Michael fans that are curious about it. If you enjoyed this post, let me know. I'd love to write up more of these if I have the time.

I have other write-ups on this blog, too. Just search fnaf theories on my blog page!

[fictionalrambles]

Shadowhunters Fandom Story -  Part Three

Submitted by @notcrypticbutcoy

Five Favourite Stories

1. Magnus Bane’s School For Young Warlocks by @miasunri​

Why I love this fic: It’s a stunning piece to read. Max and Rafe (the kids) are featured prominently with single-dad Alec, and they feel like actual people with well-developed personalities - like real, authentic children - which is something that I almost always feel is missing from fics featuring kids. The mutual pining between Magnus and Alec is gorgeous, the tension is blissful, there’s a perfect blend of Actual Plot (the politics is SO GOOD) and Feelings, and I found myself just as invested in the relationships between Magnus and each of the kids as I was in Magnus and Alec. Magnus and Alec’s relationship blossoms like the petals of a flower unfurling. I cannot overemphasise how much I smile whenever I read this fic - except during the angsty parts, of course, but those are the best sort of hurt/comfort, and the drama always gets excellent payoff. This isn’t finished, but don’t shy away from it. It’s such a wonderful fic. 

Favourite Quote:

An ocean spreads under his feet and swallows him whole.  Jace goes up to stand with the newly wedded brides to deliver his speech, and Alec hears exactly none of it.  Magnus’s lips fill out into a cascading grin, lighting every inch of Alec’s body, from the root of his heart to the dendrites of each nerve, from his fingertips to the bottom of his feet.  The slowly sinking sun and the moon fill the lines on Magnus’s face, make the glitter shine and dive down into the depths of his cat eyes, reflecting all the flecks of yellow, even from here.

He’s beautiful.

This is one of many quotes in this fic that I adore, but it’s right before the culmination of weeks and months worth of tension. The chapter it’s from, and the couple following, are my favourites. 

2. Traveller by bumblebeesknees

Why I love this fic: This fic manages to marry light and heavy with absolute ease. It’s sweet and funny, in places (140 year old Max is an interdimensional bounty hunter who’s accidentally time-travelled - need I say any more?!) and incredibly serious and sad, in others (bounty hunter Max really misses his dad and wants validation of his life choices, okay?). I love the care and thought given to how the immortality issue is handled here - there’s no fix, but the emphasis is on love and communication now, to prepare for what’s to come. It helps that the prose is lovely and the dialogue extremely heartfelt! It’s a really touching piece, and it reads effortlessly. 

Favourite quote: 

“Because I love you, and I don’t want there to be any uncertainty as to what that means. I know you know that I care for you, that I would move heaven and earth for you – but you’re also a part of me. You know things about me that I had left buried for centuries, rekindled parts of my heart I thought had been burned to ashes. There’s no page in my life that doesn’t have your fingerprints on it, no hidden corners that you haven’t brightened with your presence. It took me four hundred years to find you and I’m not – it’s not going to happen again.”

Sue me, I have chosen the most sappy and self-indulgent quote possible. But the way it’s written is stunning and it hurts so good! 

3. Universes of You by giidas

Why I love this fic: I’ve waxed poetic about this fic a lot recently, and for good reason. Alec universe-hops and finds his life intertwined with Magnus’ in every one. Some of the universes are tragic, some are the epitome of a happy ending, and some made me laugh endlessly. My favourite detail that threads through every universe in this fic is that Alec always recognises Magnus, always knows him, always sees the many similarities, but he never smells quite right; he doesn’t quite smell like Alec’s Magnus. I thought that was a really beautiful touch. The end is agonisingly sweet, and so worth the pain. Alec’s relief when he gets home is palpable.

Favourite quote:

Alec lets his full weight settle on Magnus’ thighs, allows his muscles to relax. His nose is filled with sandalwood, the earthy smell of the remnants of the memory spell that still linger on Magnus’ skin and the salty tang of sweat. His hand has a mind of its own and is settling on Magnus’ neck, tilting his head back, exposing the line of his throat to Alec. The memory of the alternate Magnus, sheen of sweat on his skin, flashes through Alec’s mind, and he does what he wanted to do then, licks from the base of Magnus’ throat all the way to his ear, biting his earlobe, burying his nose there when he’s done. Magnus shudders, makes a soft hurt noise.

Like I said. The end is my favourite brand of comfort after a fic full of sweet sweet hurt.

4. as your sun sets (i know you in bleary-eyed 3AM) by @the-prophet-lemonade​

Why I love this fic: This is a slow-burn (as much as is possible in 50k), but it burns like the sun. One of my favourite things about this fic is the found-family feel, and how well-developed all the relationships are. It’s a Sense 8 AU, and it’s seamlessly merged with the SH characters. Magnus is enigmatic but endlessly kind, and Alec is prickly but cares deeply about the other characters. I love the friendship and shared desire to protect that underpins Magnus and Alec’s relationship in this. This fic is unique in how it made me feel while reading, and I urge everyone to curl up somewhere and immerse themselves in it. The storytelling is unparalleled and the prose is extremely rich.

Favourite quote: 

“I’ve been waiting for you to visit,” Magnus says, soft. “Man in my head.”

“I’m … sorry it’s taken so long,” Alec replies.

It’s extraordinary - existing in two places at once. Here, there, his own apartment - and then, where Magnus is. He wants to tell Magnus: you make me feel things I haven’t felt before, how is that possible? He holds that need tight against his chest. Magnus looks at him like he’s hung the sun in the sky. 

Alec doesn’t feel so broken anymore.

“Man in my head” and “3am” now trigger extreme emotion in me.

5. Hath No Fury by @trellanyx

Why I love this fic: A slightly different pick, but still my favourite theme of angst with a lovely payoff. Magnus in this fic is definitely a little bit morally grey, in a way, but it’s written so well. He’s uncompromising and unashamed about his desire to protect and enact revenge when those he loves are hurt. This slightly brutal characterisation of Magnus is one of my favourites, and I really love the exploration of his darker side. Alec’s gradual realisation of what Magnus is willing to do for him is lovely, too. 

Favourite quote: 

Magnus spoke to his rings, unwilling—or unable—to make himself watch Alec’s reaction to what he was saying. “It’s something I’ve had to come to terms with, to accept in all its ugliness, because it is as much a part of me as your Nephilim heritage. Nothing is too vicious—too demonic—when it comes to protecting what is mine. And if I fail in that protection, I will gladly let entire worlds burn in punishment. I’m not proud of it, but I’ve long stopped fighting it.”

This quote really sums up what I most love about this fic!

Author Story

These characters feel like they’ve been a part of my life for a long time. The show gave them exactly the new, modern lease of life that they so desperately needed, and I am eternally grateful. Writing is and has always been a reprieve for me, and writing fanfics even more so. I always say that the best way to improve your writing is just to write, as much as you possibly can, and that’s certainly been true for me. I would like to think that my writing - and definitely my patience for editing and proof-reading - has improved since I started writing for this fandom! 

This fandom was also the first fandom I found that so wholeheartedly and enthusiastically embraced queer characters, and headcanoning probably-straight characters as queer (which says a lot about the fandoms I’ve frequented before, but I digress) which has been lovely. I never have to worry that someone will get annoyed that I’ve written about a bisexual Isabelle, or tell me that they like my writing, but not if I’m going to include explicit depictions of queer sex.

I’ve had so much fun writing in this fandom, and I’m thrilled by the response to my fics and by how much talent there is from other writers, freely available to us all. I think I’ll be sticking around for a few more years!

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Manga vs Anime: Episode 25 “To Karafuto”

So the new series as started and this time I won’t just ramble about it but also compare it to the manga.

So let’s start with Ep 1 of the 3rd series… which is the 25 Golden Kamuy animated episode.

Some data first.

This episode last 23:40 minutes. There’s no opening, or better what will become the opening song for the series is used as ending. The episode covers the last panel of chap 139 and 4 other chapters of the manga, chap 140, 141, 142 & 143 for a total of around 70 pages (I’m discounting the covers) basically ending Volume 14 and the first part of Vol 15.

The episode is titled ‘To Karafuto’, which is actually the title of chap 139, chap 140 being ‘An Ainu girl’, chap 141 being ‘Karafuto Ainu’, chap 142 being ‘The village of resident Russians’ and chap 143 being ‘Stenka’.

And now into the anime.

INTRO

Manga: We see the boat approaching Karafuto and someone saying they’re arriving.

Anime: We get some bits from Ep 24 as some sort of preview. Wilk says to Sugimoto it wasn’t him who killed the Ainu then starts asking him to tell something to Asirpa about the gold when he’s shoot. Sugimoto hurries to use Wilk body to cover himself but he’s shoot as well. Asirpa, on top of a roof, screams his name then everything goes dark. We then see Sugimoto holding Asirpa’s menomakiri. A porthole shows the sea as Sugimoto, inside a boat, is sitting on a hammock. The door opens to show Tsukishima, telling him they’re there. Gulls fly on the sky. On the bridge of the boat we can see Koito Heiji, his son, Tanigaki and some other sailors. Then, we see Sugimoto also standing there, Tsukishima behind him as the boat approaches Karafuto.

My two cents: Although I’ve included that one panel of the manga as correspondent to this whole scene in the anime, you might say this anime scene was created for the anime to introduce the new series, showing the important elements that’s relevant we remember, like Wilk’s death, Sugimoto getting shoot, Sugimoto having Asirpa’s Menomakiri and travelling to Karafuto with Koito, Tsukishima and Tanigaki. At first I was a bit displeased to see the story start with recycled footage from the last episode but we start with new footage almost immediately and I’ll say the idea to create this scene to introduce like this the situation we’re in is good, considering the long pause the anime took. There’s no really equivalent in the manga, the most we get is a panel showing the boat and saying they’re reaching Karafuto. I’ll be honest and I’ll say I was worried they would start from the dumb dream that showed Asirpa and Sugimoto’s magical mental connection at the end of ep 24. That one wasn’t a great idea, especially considering Asirpa doesn’t believe in dreams so I’m glad the anime pretended it didn’t take place. Now, while I praise this idea I’ll be honest and say it also causes a continuity problem because a ferry, who’s much slower than the boat Sugimoto is on, takes three hours to go from Hokkaido to Karafuto. Sugimoto, in ep 24, was shown on the bridge of the boat, about to reach destination. The fact he went inside and needed to be called by Tsukishima feels a bit weird. Whatever, it’s not a big deal and maybe no one remember how Ep 24 ended after all this time. On another side the anime couldn’t help but put a great remark on Sugimoto. The way the camera zoom on him as he’s on the bridge, as well as how all the other characters seem to stand behind him, really gives the impression he’s the leader. Whatever, it’s no big deal and it gives a certain atmosphere so okay, so far it’s good.

CHAPTER 139 ENDS HERE.

THE GOLDEN KAMUY WRITING IS SHOWN HERE

THE BOYS ARE IN ODOMARI

Manga & Anime: Tanigaki comments how they got there quickly. We get some info about Karafuto before Tanigaki says there are good chance Kiro and the others also went there. Tsukishima tells Koito he can’t carry with himself all his luggage, Koito protest when a case opens suddenly, showing Cikapasi and Ryu. It’s decided the two of them will remain with then, under Tanigaki’s responsibility.

There are just some minor differences:

- In the anime we see Tanigaki pulling out Cikapasi from the case and rest his hands on Cikapasi’s shoulders. Nothing of the sort happen in the manga where Cikapasi’s nose, differently from the anime, was running.

- In the anime Tanigaki frowns when Cikapasi says he doesn’t have a home/a place to return. In the manga this isn’t included.

- In the manga when Tsukishima says that he doesn’t plan to babysit more children, Koito is looking at him from behind him and Tsukisihima seems to be about to go in the opposite direction to the one Koito is looking at. In the anime they’re both staring at Cikapasi, Koito in front of Tsukishima, turning toward Tsukishima as the latter finished speaking.

- In the manga after Tsukishima says that he doesn’t plan to babysit more children he immediately adds that Cikapasi is Tanigaki’s responsibility. Sugimoto then says that he doesn’t know about Cikapasi but Ryu helped them often. In the anime when Tsukishima says he doesn’t plan to babysit more children, Sugimoto replies that Ryu helped them often so they should carry him with them. Tanigaki then says than in Karafuto there should be Ainu so Cikapasi could be useful as well. Cikapasi smiles at that and Tsukishima says Tanigaki will have to take responsibility for them.

My two cents: It’s not bad. Although there aren’t all the close up of the manga, expressions are visible and well cared enough and I’ve to say I also like many anime choices, like showing Tanigaki walking next to Sugimoto when he says Kiro could have gotten there, showing that Tanigaki feels closer to him in this hunt than to Tsukishima and Koito. Koito’s reaction to the idea of leaving behind his cases is a little over the top in the anime and this bit is overall weak but can work. I like his face when he sees Cikapasi and Ryu. I love how Tanigaki runs to where Cikapasi is, how he pulls him out of the case, kneel next to him and hold his hands on Cikapasi’s shoulders. I also love how he suggests Cikapasi can be useful. In the anime Tanigaki seems to care much more for Cikapasi than in the manga where Tanigaki is just there, saying nothing and being entrusted Cikapasi. Koito’s expression when Tsukishima says he won’t babysit any more kids is fun. On another note though, while in the manga it seemed Tsukishima just discharged Cikapasi to Tanigaki, here it seems more likes he surrendered to Tanigaki’s wish to keep Cikapasi. On a sidenote though I found the music completely unfitting for such a scene. It had something… tense, mysterious, that seemed to make the moment more important than it was.

THIS IS WHEN WE’RE SHOWN THE TITLE OF THE EPISODE

SEARCHING THROUGH THE CITY

Manga & Anime: Sugimoto suggests asking around in the city and starts showing a photo, thinking it’s Asirpa’s and asking people if they saw her. It’s Tanigaki’s photo though. Tsukishima and Tanigaki also asks around and Sugimoto wonders if Inkarmat’s info was correct and Asirpa really came to Karafuto. Tsukishima then realizes they’ve lost Koito. Turns out Koito is in a shop, trying Hurep wine. Tsukishima scolds him for leaving them with no result. Sugimoto insults him and Koito tosses Hurep on him. Sugimoto throws him a glass and the two start fighting. The woman in the shop notices Cikapasi and points out he’s the second Ainu kid she saw that day. Sugimoto thinks the kid she saw could be Asirpa and shows him her photo. The woman claims it’s her and that she just left to go back to the Ainu village.

There are just some minor differences:

- In the manga Sugimoto comments on how the fact in Karafuto is snowing a month earlier than in Hokkaido means the winter is longer and colder there. In the anime this is cut.

- In the manga when Tsukishima finds Koito he sighs and he’s sweating a little. No such thing happens in the anime.

- In the manga when Sugimoto jumps on Koito, Koito’s face is well visible and it’s clear Tsukishima is trying to part them. In the anime we can’t see Koito’s face  and it’s not so clear what Tsukishima is doing. Kotio’s face becomes visible and it’s clear Tsukishima is parting them only when the woman says she saw another Ainu child, making it seems as if Tsukishima decided for parting them and Koito stood more upward just due to this.

My two cents: Somehow I don’t particularly like Koito’s expressions. They’re similar to the manga but they don’t seem to deliver the same nuance. Mind you, the anime shows the expressions so it’s not so bad and it can be they’ll improve them for the dvd release but for now they feel slightly off. Still, the more the story goes on, the more I feel they hadn’t nailed Koito. Maybe that’s why because he had a too little role in the previous series and the animators just don’t know what to do with him but his funny moment just don’t deliver the same vibe, nor does his behaviour as bonbon.

CHASING ASIRPA

Manga & Anime: The group runs out of the shop, in the direction Asirpa supposedly took. They met a Russian person who points then to a direction an Ainu girl just took, warning them that she went into the wood where there are bears and an animal more dangerous than them. They run there to search for her but find Enonoka and realize the woman mistook her for Asirpa. Cikapasi asks her why she’s there and Enonoka explains it, albeit not in perfect Japanese. Koito translates her words better. Enonoka then claims she met a young Ainu girl from Hokkaido

There are just some minor differences:

- In the manga, although it’ll become clear the others run in search of Asirpa too, at first we see only Sugimoto doing so, in the anime we see all them doing so, Sugimoto leading, second Tsukishima, then Tanigaki and after Koito. However, in the following scenes that shows Sugimoto running we see no one behind him, not when the image is frontal nor when the camera is behind him.

- In the manga we don’t know who talked about the Ainu village being distant but in the anime it’s Tsukishima.

- The manga merely shows Sugimoto surprised Tsukishima can speak Russian, in the anime, probably knowing showing emotions isn’t their strength, they have him also comment on it.

- The manga explains the situation of Russian people in Karafuto. The anime prefers to show us a bit of Tsukishima and the Russian man’s dialogue.

- The manga showed Sugimoto from behind as he called Asirpa while the anime preferred to focus on his very worried expression.

- When Tanigaki says he has found child footsteps in the manga Sugimoto turns in the direction Tanigaki is pointing and sees Enonoka. In the anime he runs desperately until he finds Enonoka.

- In the manga, after Sugimoto turns because he saw someone (Enonoka), we get a full page with Enonoka turning, her pose hinting she did so in mid movement as she likely was chasing after he grandfather. In the anime Enonoka is standing still and when she turn a lot of emphasis is put on the move as there’s a lot of shining around her.

- In the manga Sugimoto is immediately disappointed to see Enonoka isn’t Asirpa. In the anime he first seems surprised then disappointed.

- In the manga Enonoka is serious as she explains why she’s there. In the anime she starts serious but then starts smiling.

My two cents: The anime keeps on showing Koito running behind all them which makes no sense considering he’s the fastest runner.

While it’s good the anime focuses on expressions and it’s nice to see Sugimoto so worried for Asirpa when he thinks she’s in the wood, in a way it doesn’t really make sense as Sugimoto knows she’s a hunter and trusts her ability as hunter. From the emphasis they put on Sugimoto’s worry for Asirpa, even showing him running in slow motion to remark his effort as we hear him panting hard, it seems he’s searching just a defenceless little girl, not the girl he trusts to be able to take care of a bear on her own. The shining lights around Enonoka and Enonoka only are a bit weird, they seem the special effect you use in shojo anime to introduce the heroine. I stand my case, somehow Koito gives me a different vibe than in the manga but maybe it’s just me. I’ll say I appreciated the anime new trend to show expressions, for example when Tsukishima says the bear is being strange we can see Sugimoto’s expression as he notices the bear is bleeding.

ENTER THE WOLVERINE

Manga & Anime: Enonoka tells Cikapasi she met a young Ainu girl from Hokkaido. Sugimoto would like to ask her if she’s Asirpa but Ryu starts barking and they notice he’s looking at a bear, which is acting strange. A small animal fell off the bear. It’s a wolverine which attack Koito.

There are just some minor differences:

- In the manga when Enonoka says she met a Hokkaido Ainu girl, both Tsukishima and Sugimoto grow interested, Sugimoto showing her Asirpa’s photo. Then Ryu starts barking and Tanigaki turns. In the anime Sugimoto is the one who shows interest while Tsukishima is the one who turns as he hears Ryu barking.

- In the manga, after they noticed the bear, we can see Tsukishima preparing his rifle as he says to get the children behind them, then the bear, then Sugimoto and Tsukishima pointing their rifle at it, Sugimoto ready at shooting at it. In the anime, after they noticed the bear, we can see Tsukishima and Sugimoto pointing their rifles at it as Tsukishima says to get the children behind them, then Tanigaki, rifle lowered, moving in front of Cikapasi who’s in front of Enonoka, then the bear, then Sugimoto and Tsukishima pointing their rifle at it, Sugimoto not really taking aim as he did in the manga.

- In the manga Koito looks mocking when he says the wolverine seems weak in the anime disappointed.

My two cents: It’s actually bad when Tanigaki places himself in front of the children but keep his rifle lowered, clearly not ready to shoot and he still has his rifle lowered when the wolverine, which clearly was attacking the bear, falls near Koito.

In the manga it’s implied Tanigaki had his rifle ready to fire when the bear was around, although he raised it when the bear escaped. Although in the anime Sugimoto looks surprised when he realizes it was the wolverine which attacked the bear, in the manga this is a lot more visible. Tsukishima also seems a lot more alert in the manga than in the anime. Again, maybe it’s just me but I keep on getting a different vibe from Koito than the one I got in the manga.

CHAPTER 140 ENDS HERE.

ESCAPING THE WOLVERINE

Manga & Anime: We get some explanation about which animal is the one they met. Tsukishima kicks the wolverine away, tries to shoot it but fails. The wolverine tries to attack Enonoka but Cikapasi protects her and Sugimoto rips the wolverine away from him before it could bite Cikapasi. He then entrusts the kids to Tanigaki claiming the girls has info on Asirpa. Afterward he tosses the wolverine but Tsukishima fails again to hit it. The group escapes, chased by the wolverine. Sugimoto fails on shooting it when Enonoka’s grandfather arrives and they climb on his sled, managing to distance the wolverine. However the old man said they’re too heavy and so Sugimoto  tosses Tanigaki off the sled.

There are just some minor differences:

- In the manga explanations include the differences between animals in Karafuto and Hokkaido. This is cut in the anime. Explanations about the wolverine are also shorter.

- In the manga it seems the wolverine is biting Koito’s back, in the anime, even though there’s blood, it’s clear the wolverine is biting Koito’s coat while on Koito’s back.

- In the manga it’s clear Tanigaki grabbed the children. In the anime it seems the children were pushed against him, which is not possible as Sugimoto was holding the wolverine right then. So maybe it’s just me.

- In the manga the sled doesn’t stop to pick them up but they climb on it while it’s running. In the anime they stop it.

- In the manga isn’t clear if it’s Koito’s words about him having gotten fast or Sugimoto’s groping who caused Tanigaki to flush while in the anime it’s clear it’s Sugimoto groping.

- In the manga when Tanigaki is tossed off the sled his buttocks jiggle, in an attempt to make the scene funny. The anime who’s still playing a dramatic music instead freeze the scene, with Koito saying ‘Tanigaki first class’ after a pause as if attempting to make it dramatic… for humoristic purpose.

My two cents: The anime has previously depicted Tanigaki close to the kids, which wasn’t in the manga. Now it plays the scene of the wolverine’s attack to Enonoka as it’s in the manga, in which Tanigaki was nowhere to be seen… but as in the anime we know he’s near them, it makes him look worthless when Enonoka is protected by Cikapasi and Cikapasi by Sugimoto without Tanigaki doing nothing but receiving the kids from Sugimoto. After Sugimoto fires and misses for some reason the anime decides to show they have ALL stopped running, which is dumb, especially considering the wolverine is running toward them and Tanigaki is even giving it his back.

In the anime the fact the characters first and the sled after, stop running is particularly bad because the wolverine, which in the anime is also defined fast, should have reached them at that point and instead it doesn’t. While I can’t really say I found the scene of tossing Tanigaki off the sled fun in the manga, it impresses me even less in the anime but maybe it’s just me. And again Koito feels a bit off to me.

ABASHIRI

THIS PART DOESN’T EXIST IN THE MANGA

Anime: At the Abashiri hospital Usami informs Tsurumi they couldn’t find Hijikata’s group nor corpses resembling them.

Tsurumi is brushing a tattooed skin against his cheek, the other on display on a bed. Tsurumi comments Hijikata is a tough old man but there’s no hurry as Hijikata will show up.

The scene switches and we see Hijikata’s group (Toni still unconscious on Ushiyama’s back and Kadokura with his arm bandaged) reaching Nagakura.

Nagakura is happy to see Hijikata is still alive...

...as he feared he died but hoped that, if the latter where to be alive, he would have hid in the place in which Inudou hid Nopperabou so he’d been keeping an eye on the lecture hall each day. Hijikata says they’ve info on the prisoners so they would head to Kushiro. Kadokura turns to Abashiri to point out that prisoners and guards are all dead and wonders if the gold was worth all this.

Hijikata says it’s not the gold they want but what lies beyond it. And the same is true for the others and that everyone believes what the others are doing is right.

At this we’re shown an image of Tsurumi looking at the skins greedily and of the Karafuto group, Tanigaki still chasing the sled.

My two cents: The idea of the scene is good, the fact Usami is so far from the camera as he speaks we can’t even see it’s him, it’s not. Luckily they show his face and Tsurumi short after. The scene of Tanigaki running after the sled is horrible. Anyway, the scene with Tsurumi rubbing himself against the skins is likely partly inspired to when, in chap 139, Tsurumi was rubbing himself against the tattooed skins, albeit since he has done it in ep 24 too, I find useless to show it here as it seems to imply he kept on doing that for days. It was much better if he were studying the skins. On the other side the rest of whole bit, plot wise, is a very good addition. I was genuinely displeased the manga skipped this so that it didn’t seem like Tsurumi searched for Hijikata, and the moment of the reunion between Hijikata and Nagakura was also completely skipped so we moved on them being together abruptly when they show up in Kushiro. Also I take their mention of Kushiro means the anime might show the Youichirou arc and not skip it altogether. Let’s hope so. Also the colouring in the scene is nice, I love the sunset.

THE ANIME PLACES HERE AN EYECATCH

THE AINU VILLAGE

Manga and anime: We get some explanation about Ainu, and, more specifically, about Karafuto Ainu. Koito’s wound gets treated. Enonoka asks Cikapasi his name and tells him her own. At Sugimoto claiming they could have named Enonoka differently, she says the Ainu girl that came from Hokkaido also are hurep at their house. She recognizes Asirpa and tells Sugimoto she was with three men. She confirms to Tanigaki Kiro was one of them and that he said they were heading north. Sugimoto asks if Asirpa was well and Enonoka says she was very sad and silent but she ate the hurep they served. Sugimoto tries it too. Enonoka says eating the hurep cheered Asirpa up and she smiled and said ‘hinna’. Sugimoto says this means it’s Asirpa for sure and that now they’re sure she came to Karafuto.

There are minor cuts and changes:

- In the manga the scene starts with Tanigaki being already at the village, seated on the ground and panting. In the anime we see him walking, coming to a stop and sitting down, looking much more worn out than in the manga.

- In the manga, when the old man put bear fat on Koito’s wound we can’t see Koito’s back and therefore e can’t see his wound. In the anime we can… but there’s no wound.

- In the manga Kiro’s face is partially darkened (not that it can be seen wella s Kiro is giving us his back) while in the anime it’s in full light (even though Kiro keeps on giving us his back).

My two cents: It’s not bad. While certain scenes could have benefitted of showing close up of the characters, it more or less transposes everything faithfully

KIRORANKE’S DESTINATION

THIS PART DOESN’T EXIST IN THE MANGA

Anime: This scene is supposedly a continuation of the previous in which Enonoka reports her grandfather says the Ainu girl and the men were asking about the Russian village near their own. At this Sugimoto and Tanigaki turns toward the old man who nods. Koito and Tsukishima exchange a glance and the same happens to Sugimoto and Tanigaki before they nod to each other. We then see the roof of the house, the sky showing us Night has fallen.

My two cents: In the manga we learnt this by a discussion the boys had the morning after while the anime preferred to insert it here. The idea wouldn’t be bad… it could actually be very good… but the execution is poor. The transition from the previous scene is horrible, they tries to avoid having us hear the old man talking in Ainu by skipping to Asirpa translating his words, but it’s just too abrupt and you have to reason to understand she’s translating and not merely continuing the previous conversation. So, while I praise the idea, I hope the anime will handle it better in the future.

CHAPTER 141 ENDS HERE.

HIRING ENONOKA’S GRANDFATHER

Manga & Anime: Koito negotiate with Enonoka to hire her grandfather and his sleds.

My two cents: In the manga it works to keep Enonoka and Koito silent but in the anime it just feels weird we don’t hear their voice. While Cikapasi singing is also present in the manga, in the anime his scene feels abrupt and a waste of time.

THE RUSSIAN VILLAGE

Manga and anime: The group travels to the Russian village. Tsukishima warns them about how the Russians there could be criminals. In the bar Tsukishima asks if people had seen Kiroranke. A drunken Russian tells them to leave. Sugimoto claims he doesn’t understand what he’s saying and tells Tsukishima to tell him if he touches him, he’ll knock him down. The Russian tries to attack Sugimoto and, ultimately, is knocked down. The boy leave the bar, Sugimoto claiming the place is worthless.

There are minor cuts and changes:

- In the manga we get explanations about dog sleds and ethnic groups using them. In the anime this is cut.

- In the manga, once they arrived to the village, Enonoka would tell them her grandfather said Asirpa’s group asked about the village they’re in. This is cut in the anime as they added a scene of them in Enonoka’s house discussing this.

- In the manga, the group listen to Tsukishima standing still. In the anime they move toward the bar as Tsukishima talks.

- In the manga Tsukishima’s face darkens when the Russian guy asks him why Japanese soldiers are in their village. In the anime he also lowers his head, seeming even more annoyed than the manga.

- In the manga the impression is that the Russian guy has moved closer to Sugimoto. In the anime is clear he has moved closer to Tsukishima and Sugimoto had gotten in between the two.

- In the manga the scene seems faster, as we have the impression Sugimoto immediately puched the guy as the other grabbed him. In the anime the scene is slower as the guy grabs him, the camera pans on Sugimoto who frowns and then punches him.

- In the manga Sugimoto is leading the group when they leave, Tanigaki looking behind worriedly and Tsukishima and Koito walking while frowning. In the anime, although Sugimoto is still walking ahead the others are just following him calmly, as if nothing had happened.

My two cents: Honestly I don’t particularly like the anime choice of having Sugimoto getting in between Tsukishima and the Russian. In the manga it made sense he would tell Tsukishima to tell him not to touch him or he’ll beat him because the Russian seemed to plan to attack him but in the anime it seems Sugimoto has gotten in between to protect Tsukishima and, with his words, he’s challenging the other to touch him. Also slowing the start of the fight, while giving more emphasis to Sugimoto at the same time make him look more violent. In the manga the quick scene seems to tell us that Sugimoto just reacted fast so as not to be attacked. As in the anime the Russian didn’t immediately attack him but just grabbed him, Sugimoto seems to be overreacting. The idea of also having the group walk away calmly makes the scene underwhelming and cold.

THE DOG STEALING

Manga and anime: As the group wonder why Kiroranke came there Enonoka reaches them complaining their dog was stolen. She explains what had happened and we get an explanation about sled dogs. The Russian guy who distracted Enonoka and her grandfather shows up and tell them to come with him.

There are minor cuts and changes:

- In the manga Enonoka seems to run as fast as she can seriously, in the anime it seems more a humoristic scene.

- In the manga when Enonoka explains what happens we can see her grandfather is distressed. The same isn’t true for the anime where the scene is shown from afar and with the camera above them.

- In the manga the explanation about the Isohseta is in a box. In the anime Tanigaki asks what an Isohseta is and Tsukishima explains him, giving him a much more summarized explanation than the manga.

My two cents: The lack of expression of Enonoka’s grandfather is a real annoyance in the anime. The poor guy is just a background figure.

BACK TO THE BAR

Manga & Anime: The owner of the bar claims if they want the dog back they’ve to join the stenka. It turns out that the man Sugimoto punched should have taken part to it but with a swollen eye can’t anymore so he wants Sugimoto to take his place. Sugimoto says he doesn’t care and wants to threaten him and the same goes for Koito. Tsukishima though claims he can’t translate their complicate sentences. The Russian guy tell them he knows Kiroranke and the others were searching for a tattooed man who came from Hokkaido and the tattooed guy might show up to the stenka. Sugimoto comments this means the tattooed prisoners have found their way to Karafuto.

There are minor cuts and changes:

- In the manga when the Russian man tell them about Kiro his dialogue is at first untranslated, and we can only see Tsukishima’s surprised face before hearing him translate it. In the anime they subtitled it.

- In the manga Tanigaki sweats as he comments that’s why Kiro came there. In the anime he does not.

My two cents: Honestly, subtitling what the Russian guy said takes away the surprise of hearing it from Tsukishima, making the scene more flat and since they left the part in which Tsukishima translate all that the guy is saying, it’s a bit useless.

THE STENKA

Manga & Anime: The Russian takes them to the place in which the stenka is taking place. The guys still don’t know what it is and, once shown, we’re surprised. We get some explanations on how this is a traditional Russian sport.

There are minor cuts and changes:

- In the manga Sugimoto decides they’ve no choice but join it, albeit Tsukishima is surprised by his saying ‘we’. In the anime there’s no such scene as the guys will express their disagreement in taking part to it later.

My two cents: When the anime shows people fighting, he recycles some scenes. This is not so great. On a more positive note I somehow like the colouring of the scene. Also I’m fine with cutting the part of Sugimoto saying they’ve to take part to it and Tsukishima being surprised by the ‘we’ because it will be discussed later, both in the manga and in the anime so in the anime it would become redundant.

CHAPTER 142 ENDS HERE.

ACCEPTING TO JOIN THE STENKA

Manga and anime: Tsukishima translates the info the man gave them about the stenka and how the man who first started gambling on it was the Japanese man with the tattoo. The Russian man says the man isn’t there yet and only comes to fight strong people so he won’t show up if there aren’t adversaries he likes. Sugimoto says then they’ll have to join the stenka and draw him into a match. Koito and Tanigaki points on how Kiro’s group gave up on him but Sugimoto insists, saying it will be a pain if they let such a guy escape so he wants them to take part to the stenka. Tsukishima and the others express their disagreement but then the Russian guy says he only wants Sugimoto to fight in the stenka because he thinks Japanese, apart from Sugimoto, are weak, which fires up Koito, Tanigaki and Tsukishima’s fighting spirit.

There are minor cuts and changes:

- In the manga, when explanations are given we see the men fighting. In the anime we see Gansoku moving close to the place.

- In the manga Sugimoto asks if the tattooed Japanese is there, Tsukishima translates his question for him and the Russian shakes his head. As the manga shows people fighting, it’s implied the Russian said to Tsukishima what Tsukishima then said, making Tsukishima’s words a translation. In the anime Sugimoto makes his question, the Russian shakes his head and Tsukishima explains the guy only fight the strong.

My two cents: This is transposed faithfully enough and I love how they made Sugimoto’s voice sound muffled due to the skewer going through his cheeks. Not translating Sugimoto’s words give the impression the Russian understand Japanese. We can stretch thing and assume he told Tsukishima before , what Tsukishima will reply but still the scene isn’t that good. Although in the scene in which they’re drawn Nihei and Henmi’s pose are similar to the one in the manga, in the anime it seems more like they’re together, with Henmi watching Nihei as if they were some sort of friends. That’s just weird. Also I don’t see why there’s this weird obsession of showing scene from above instead than from a frontal position. It really doesn’t improve things if we can see the top of the characters’ head and their expressions come as less visible in this way.

THE STENKA

Manga and anime: Sugimoto’s group take part to the stenka. A Russian player makes fun of Tsukishima due to his short height. Sugimoto’s group tells us what the stenka is for them. They fight and win, watched by Gansoku. Sugimoto’s group win the stenka and Tsukishima helps the Russian to get up. As people cheer on them Sugimoto notices Gansoku looking at them.

There are minor cuts and changes:

- In the manga the panels show the boys together, then we get two panels placing more focus on Tsukishima first and Koito after, as we never saw them without clothes. In the anime they pan on all the bodies equally, starting with Sugimoto, then Tsukishima, Tanigaki and, at last, Koito.

- In the manga as the boys fight we also learn what is the stenka for Gansoku and we get a flashback about his past. This is cut in the anime but it will probably included in the next episode.

My two cents: The music gives a very odd atmosphere to the scene in which the boy tell their expectations for the stenka but it’s fine. On a sidenote I’ll say the anime is doing action scenes much better now, compared to the previous series. When the 7th division attacked Abashiri and had to fight the convict they used a lot of still frames while here the fight is thankfully animated. This is a clear improvement. Gansoku is depicted in a more mysterious manner in the anime as we can’t see his eyes for most of the story and get to see them only at the end of the episode.

TO SUM IT ALL

Well, if I’ve to compare this first episode to the previous series there are a lot of improvements. Sure, the musical background should be improved and, more importantly, used better, they should film the character more often form a frontal position, with a decent close up instead than from above or from a distance but there are much more close up and much more attention to expressions, there are action scenes instead than still images and most of the added scenes were a great idea. The story flows, for the most of it, smooth enough (except in a couple of points) and while I still perceive Koito’s transposition as odd well, it might be just me. Overall it’s a good start for the third series and I hope the rest of the episodes will keep up with it and even improve.

[beneaththetangles]

Light Novel Club, Chapter 28: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, Vol. 1

Welcome to our Light Novel Club discussion of Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai!

As a reminder, the Light Novel Club discussions are now held publicly on the Beneath the Tangles Discord server. I bring this up because this time around, we actually have a number of participants in our discussion on Discord, which made for a very lively discussion this time around! That said, because of the sheer volume of the discussion, we cannot post the entire discussion here without making the post way too long, so we instead have a highlight reel of our discussion. So let’s jump in to the discussion on this light novel that inspired a popular anime, featuring a rascal, a bunny girl, and a strange take on Schrödinger’s cat!

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1. What are your overall thoughts on the novel?

Firefox789: My overall thoughts on the novel can be summarized like this: it was an enjoyable and addictive light novel to read. The character interactions really made me enjoy the novel even more than I expected, as some parts of the novel couldn’t be adapted into the anime whether due to the challenge of including them or time/budget contraints (ex. Sakuta’s inner monologue). Character interactions were definitely one of the strong points of the light novel.

Closet0taku: It’s interesting to approach a light novel after having seen the anime (and movie). I enjoyed the LN as it gave more depth to all of the characters I encountered in the anime while also setting up the mysteries that would take another half-dozen light novels to solve. I think, though, that had I read LN #1 first before the anime was released, I’m not sure I would have continued on with the books; the scars on Sakuta’s chest and Kaede’s syndrome might not have intrigued me enough to continue. On the other hand, the denoument with Koga might have been the hook to keep me going. Having very much enjoyed the anime and movie, I find the LNs are indispensable in fully appreciating the whole story, and what points the author was trying to make about culture and relationships.

stardf29: I definitely liked the whole idea of various socio-psychological issues being reflected in the real, physical world. It’s the sort of teenage drama I enjoy from all these anime/manga/light novels in high school settings, since they are issues that people struggle with even after their teenage years, and the novels definitely worked in those struggles well. The novel could also be fun when it wanted to be fun, and the relationship between Sakuta and Mai was also nice, so yeah, definitely a great read overall.

RyanDH: I thought the novel was very fun and relatable. Lots of times, depictions of teenagers can be cringey or out-of-touch, but I found all of the dialogue and characters to be believable and well-written.

Twwk: I mostly enjoyed it! I sometimes got caught up in how poorly the series functions as science fiction—more on that later— and in what I felt was novice-level writing from the author, but when I wasn’t tripped up by those foibles, I blazed through the volume, ravenous for one page after another. It was a fun read.

BambiBethy: I have a confession…I’m only on chapter two because busy mom life! So it’s too soon for me to assess the book as a whole.

2. What made the light novel an enjoyable read for you? (via Firefox789)

stardf29: One reason I like light novels as a medium is how we get to see the thought processes of the characters, and getting into Sakuta’s head here definitely added to how much I enjoyed the novel.

RyanDH: Sakuta was an extremely relatable protagonist for me. I was in a similar situation while still in high school: no phone and a bit of a cynical view of the atmosphere and politics involved in being a teenager. Phones open up so many doors for social interaction, but it also means that nearly every second of young peoples’ lives is now dedicated to maintaining and improving their relationships with their classmates. Look at Kaede’s situation: one missed message and suddenly her friends and her whole class had turned on her. They never get to be truly alone, and I find the whole concept really interesting to try to understand at a deeper level.

BambiBethy: So far I am really enjoying the banter between Mai and Sakuta.

3. If both an anime and LN/manga for the series is available, do you have a preference as to which order you approach them? (via Closet0taku)

FIrefox789: I have learned that my best approach for getting into a title is see how the community reacts to how well the source material is being adapted. If the community thinks that a light novel has a decent to above average adaptation, I will usually watch the anime first and then decide whether I want to read the novels. Bunny Girl Senpai is a case where I was sold on the series to the point I decided to fork out $140 on buying the TV series and movie on Blu-ray and also buying the novels as they released in English officially. However, if it’s the case I hear that the anime isn’t doing the best job at adapting the source material (ex. Horimiya 2021), I will most likely stick with the source material whether it’s the manga or light novel. Manga is sometimes a debatable option for me because I have never liked manga adaptations of light novels as most of the time, they deviate from the novels.

stardf29: So I’ve had the opportunity to approach anime adaptations from all angles: seeing the anime first and then reading the novel, reading the novel first and then watching the anime, and a “hybrid” approach where I read some of the novel, and then watch the anime which goes beyond the point where I read. While I would generally prefer to read as much of the novel as will be adapted in the anime before watching said anime, realistically I often don’t have the time to read that much with all the other stuff there is to read. So the “hybrid” approach is a nice way to see how much I might be interested in an anime adaptation in the first place, and get a feel for how good the adaptation is.

RyanDH: I definitely like to read something before watching it, if possible. It gives my imagination more creative freedom to create the world and characters on my own, rather than just imagine the ones I’m already used to seeing.

BambiBethy: I actually just finished the anime and movie. I usually don’t like reading books if I’ve already seen the live or animated adaptation, but in this case it’s ok since I can imagine the characters from the anime. Also there’s a lot more depth in the LN.

4. In the first chapters of volume, it’s revealed that this novel would be almost a nonlinear story. What was your reaction to this literary writing style? (via Firefox789)

Close0taku: I personally like non-linear novels, films, anime, and other media. It’s a challenge to the viewer to make sense of it. I know some viewers do not like it and find it distracting or confusing—tell me a story, don’t make it convoluted—since it’s obvious that the narrator knows exactly what has happened. But that’s really not how we live life, is it? We often find out “the rest of the story” after we’ve been introduced to people or places; besides, if we were (in Bunny Girl Senpai) to learn at the start exactly the reason for Kaede’s illness or Sakuta’s scars, it wouldn’t be nearly as dramatic. I like mysteries, and while the classic mystery seems linear, it shares the same sort of twists and turns as you discover more information. So, I have no issue with it.

RyanDH: I found the story easy to follow, and it moved at a pace that was just fast enough to progress, but also slow enough to have solid characterization of the main couple, as well as some of the side characters.

stardf29: The funny thing is, this series shares some similarities with Bakemonogatari, which is also non-linear in nature and starts after the protagonist has experienced supernatural events already. (I even read the first Bakemonogatari novel soon after reading this novel…) I think it’s an interesting setup for various reasons. First of all, you don’t have to waste much time with the protagonist getting shocked that supernatural events are happening in the first place. Second, it provides some hooks for future content to revisit the past. Perhaps the most notable thing is yet another thing that Rascal shares with Monogatari: The first story that is told is the one focusing on the girl that the guy is primarily romatically interested in. Because other girls are involved with what happened to them beforehand, this helps “keep them out” of the romance picture; I don’t have to worry about getting too attached to those other girls and not being able to support the “main girl.”

Twwk: That’s really interesting that you make that connection to Monogatari, stardf29. I don’t recall thinking it when I watched the anime series, but while reading the light novel, I kept returning to Monogatari and thinking that it must have influenced it. Rascal is almost a more palatable version of Monogatari, easy to engage with but also less creative (not that a bunny girl isn’t an interesting way to begin a novel series!).

5. The novels get a lot of praise for portraying the relationship between our main duo, Sakuta and Mai, very well and with an entertaining writing style. What do you think makes their relationship so special? (via Firefox789)

RyanDH: What was so funny and likable about their synergy was the shock factor involved in some of their banter. I could NEVER imagine saying to a girl some of the things Sakuta says while poking fun at Mai, but the fact that she responded similarly always made me laugh.

Closet0taku: Sakuta has almost no filter. He often says what he feels. He has a lot of respect and integrity where Mai is concerned, but he can’t turn off his teenage self, either. He’s unapologetic about trying to steal a kiss from Mai (he’s unsuccessful in LN 1), if not more. Mai tries to match Sakuta’s frankness, but falls short, and embarrasses herself when she does. It’s this twisted repartee where both are learning about the other through a variety of trying circumstances as they both come to grips with the strange goings-on.

stardf29: There’s something to be said for the gap in Sakuta’s and Mai’s statuses: Sakuta is kind of the loser guy in school (for various reasons), while Mai is a famous actress. Under normal circumstances, the two shouldn’t even ever talk with each other, but because of the whole Adolescence Syndrome, they find not only a reason to talk, but also a chance to understand each other beyond the statuses they have. As others have said, they also play off each other well, which helps balance out the more serious moments between the two.

BambiBethy: Their personalities are amazing! The way they just clicked when they first met is really special. I love imagining their banter and facial expressions.

6. What do you think of Sakuta and Mai individually as characters?

Firefox789: Sakuta is definitely a great portrayal of a non-typical male teenage light novel protagonist. What makes Sakuta a great character isn’t that he manages to get the girl, but how he does. Sakuta has enough self confidence in himself that he can approach the beautiful actress, Mai Sakurajima, without having second doubts about how he sees himself in comparison to others. He never compares himself to Mai or gets down on himself for wanting to approach her. Sakuta felt attracted to Mai and just approached her without any second thoughts. A reason why Mai was willing to open up to Sakuta was because he was honest to her about why he was approaching her and why he wanted to help her. If Sakuta had lied to Mai even once, it would have been game over for him, so him being honest to her was the one reason why his relationship with her was so successful. A minor complaint about Sakuta is that he can sometimes blurt out the most blatant and inappropriate comments known to a teenage boy, but he has enough good qualities to himself that most readers can overlook his flaws.

Closet0taku: Sakuta is a noble soul trapped in a teenager’s body. “I just can’t ignore someone in trouble,” is his life philosophy. He’s proven it with Kaede, and will demonstrate it again with Mai. I think the consistency of his character is maintained throughout the LN. As far as Mai is concerned…she’s a little more undefined as a person—we don’t get to hear her inner monologue, so we have to take her at face value. I can’t say whether a celebrity would really act this way, but I am happy Mai is doing so.

7. What do you think of the other characters that appear in this volume?

Closet0taku: I like how all the other characters have their quirks—the dismissive Futaba, vulnerable Kaede, brash Koga, reliable Kunimi. They’re not terribly well-developed yet—that will happen in the future—but they are good touchstones for Sakuta to interact with as he moves throughout his day trying to get to the bottom of Mai’s Adolescent Syndrome.

stardf29: I don’t have too much to add about the main characters; they’re both good protagonists for this story as others have said. There sure are some fun side characters, though, which is good because they will be in focus in later volumes. Kaede is your classic Overly Attached Little Sister, though perhaps she has more reason of being so attached given her past. Kunimi is a nice guy friend to support Sakuta (his girlfriend is kind of a jerk, though, to put it nicely). Tomoe is… silly. I mean, it’s one thing to kick a guy because you misunderstood when he was helping a kid, but to ask him to kick you back as penance? Definitely an amusing first impression. And Rio provides the scientific info dumps and assistance with figuring the whole “Adolescent Syndrome” out, and I do like these sorts of “professor” characters like her.

Twwk: Aside from the mains, I definitely found myself liking Tomoe. As stardf29 notes…so silly. What an unusual introduction!

8. What do you think of how the story uses the idea of “Adolescent Syndrome” in general, and the concept of Schrödinger’s cat in this volume?

Twwk: It confused me—though that’s not the novelist’s fault. I thought Adolescent Syndrome was a referrence to being a chuunibyou, as if these occurrences were chuunibyou come to life. But I later gathered that the syndrome is actually completely made up for this series. I do think that using this invented syndrome though, along with the use science elements, weakens the story. Before the discussion above comparing the series to Monogatari, it was more The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya that I was most reminded of. That series—and Monogatari as well—uses the supernatural in a way that makes the science fiction possible, and thus veers it toward a direction where the novel doesn’t much have to explain its science. But here, it feels like we’re supposed to accept the science presented, and that’s problematic because it’s not written particularly well. It feels like the writer did about an hour of research and just went with it, which is fine if your story involves espers and goddesses along with aliens and time travelers, but not when Sakuta turns to Rio for “hard science” advice. If the author just forgot the science angle and say, made Rio into some other type of character (she doesn’t particularly seem a good scientist as she is, by the way, guzzling coffee from beakers), I would have more readily accepted Schrödinger’s cat as an idea just put forward by an adolescent, and it would work in this supernatural environment.

stardf29: I actually liked the usage of Schrödinger’s cat in the story; maybe I’m just more interested in science overall, but I thought the reflection of this bit of quantum mechanics into real-world phenomenon was done pretty well. It’s not so much science working in weird ways to me as it is some kind of supernatural force that has “hijacked” scientific concepts. In that sense it does make me curious as to what this whole “Adolescent Syndrome” actually is, and if we’ll learn more about where it comes from.

RyanDH: So well said stardf29, I agree 100%. A supernatural force “hijacking” science is exactly the vibe I got from that portion of the book, and that theme definitely carried over into the second book as well. I believe our intrinsic need to understand and classify the world and wrap up all of these findings into what we call “science” can leave us with certain biases when we experience something so out of the ordinary

Twwk: So you both like how science is woven into the plot? “Hijacking” science is an interesting way of seeing it, but it’s use in this novel remains a wall for me. When you allow your work to enter the realm of science fiction, it needs to feature a sense of realism related to that science, and somehow talking science without letting it guide the principles of the story feels like a cheap plot device, like, “Let’s throw science in this story to make it distinct! One of the girls can even be a science nerd!” But perhaps that’s just coming from someone with way too much bias for sci-fi novels.

stardf29: Maybe likewise because I’m more of a fantasy person, I can think of this more as “the fantasy-zation of science” rather than science in and of itself?

Closet0taku: I’m fine with the scientific parallels to quantum theory and relativity, and in particular the theories of observation (which go beyond physics and into philosophy) that give rise to Mai’s manifestation of the syndrome.

9. How much can you relate to the struggles that Sakuta or Mai go through?

Twwk: Related to the question earlier about their relationship, I like “watching” Sakuta and Mai. They have a fun report. I don’t necessarily relate to them because I find them a bit idealized—Sakuta is a little too self-aware, confident, and strong, and is too easily able to charm Mai, who on the other hand is walking wish fulfillment—though if I had to pick one, I find her more relateable in the sense that she’s struggling under a weight that she doesn’t necessarily need to carry, but still is unable to lift off herself. I don’t think that’s unusual for people to experience, especially when you’re a teenager.

stardf29: I think what I relate to most, moreso than the characters’ Adolescent Syndrome-related issues, is the whole idea that there’s some kind of “atmosphere” within a certain group (like the students at a school) and how people will get looked down upon for trying to ruin that atmosphere by doing something that “stands out.” That is definitely something that I feel is stifling about socializing, and Sakuta breaking past that to confess his love for Mai was a great “ruin the atmosphere” moment in the book.

Closet0taku: I don’t know that I can relate to their particular struggles, as I think high schools in the U.S. are somewhat less focused on the “atmosphere” and the impenetrable cliques that form. I won’t say it’s unique to Japan, but it is certainly endorsed by its culture.

=====

Thanks for reading, and special thanks to everyone who participated in the discussion! I would love for future discussions to also have readers like you joining in, so if you are interested, join our Discord server and check out the Light Novel Club channels! You can also join to peek in on our discussions live, to make sure you don’t miss anything we talk about.

For March 2021, we will be reading Tearmoon Empire, Vol. 3! Our discussion will begin on March 20th. We will also be announcing our April 2021 title on the Discord soon!

[mascaratearsnlipsticksmears]

1..Who was the last person you held hands with? Probably My son

2. Are you outgoing or shy? Shy until I’m

Comfortable

3. Who are you looking forward to seeing? My surgeon

4. Are you easy to get along with? I try to Be. Don’t give me a reason to not Like you 😉

5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you? Never had someone take care of me from drinking .....I’m usually taking care of everyone else

6. What kind of people are you attracted to? Loyal. Chill. Down to earth .

7. Are you married? No.

8. Do you want to get married? Eventually . I do , but I need it to be for the right reason.

9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable? Makes me feel Lonely lately believe it or not.... 😔

10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with? Steve

11. What does the most recent text that you sent say? “Oh cool 😎”

12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now?

lil peep- star shopper

Brand new-Jesus Christ

Bebe rexha- I’m a mess

Anything Billie eillish

Doja cat -rules

Ashnikko-daisy

That’s more than 5, Idc

13. Do you like it when people play with your hair? Only certain people

14. Do you believe in luck and miracles? I don’t know anymore

15. What good thing happened this summer? Got a tan and not covid 👌🏼👌🏼

16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? My little guy? I will kiss him when ever I can cause one day he’s not gonna want me to and I’ll be sad

17. Do you think there is life on other planets? Absolutely

18. Do you still talk to your first crush? Yes

19. Do you like bubble baths? 110%

20. Do you like your neighbors? Yea

21. What are you bad habits? Overthinking, caring to much.

22. Where would you like to travel? Anywhere

23. Do you have trust issues? No, people that scumbag me Normally get cut off so I only keep ppl around I trust.

24. Favorite part of your daily routine? Coffee & a bowl

25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with? Uhhh everything from the chin down 😔

26. What do you do when you wake up? Set gage up for class in the living room

27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker?darker

28. Who are you most comfortable around? Lauren Rayza

29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up? They don’t get the chance, yes a few tried to contact me but my mentality is fuck them.... one even tried emailing my friends to reach me 🙄🙄🖕🏼

30. Do you ever want to get married? I do, one day. Didn’t I just answer this

31. If your hair long enough for a pony tail? Yes

32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with? Idk I’d have to think about it

33. Spell your name with your chin. The fuck?

34. Do you play sports? What sports? Bought a bike yesterday Lol. I used to be on the swim team and I played soccer~ also took dance for 7 years.

35. Would you rather live without TV or music? Depends on my mood

36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them? Absolutely.

37. What do you say during awkward silences? Try to avoid them at all Costs

38. Describe your dream girl/guy? No.

39. What are your favorite stores to shop in? Sephora Ulta Victoria secret

40. What do you want to do after high school? Lol I think that bridge has been crosses already

41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance? Not everyone , no.

42. If your being extremely quiet what does it mean? Normally bad anxiety and hurting , or extremely chill

43. Do you smile at strangers?

Yea I do.... but now I forget I have a mask on and look like a retard

44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean? Can I just going fishing ?

45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning? My son.

46. What are you paranoid about? Money

47. Have you ever been high? There’s a joint in my hand.

48. Have you ever been drunk? Who writes these things??

49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about? No.

50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore? Navy

51. Ever wished you were someone else? Eh wish I was still me with more $$$

52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself? I don’t have to wish, I’m doing it.

53. Favourite makeup brand? Tarte, morphs, fenty

54. Favourite store? Didn’t I answer this?

55. Favourite blog? My own💚

56. Favourite colour? Black, Periwinkle , light lavender ,pink

57. Favourite food? Japanese

58. Last thing you ate? 8 hours slow cooked ribs

59. First thing you ate this morning? Coffee

60. Ever won a competition? For what? Probably & Idr

61. Been suspended/expelled? Started a food fight in the science lab and they suspended the wrong Angela ~Womp womp...I did get detention a lot cause my shirt was too low in the front tho.

62. Been arrested? No

63. Ever been in love? Yea I think so

64. Tell us the story of your first kiss? No. ☺️

65. Are you hungry right now? I could eat.

66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends? Meh

67. Facebook or Twitter? Fb

68. Twitter or Tumblr? Tumblr

69. Are you watching tv right now?yes

70. Names of your bestfriends? Stephanie Lauren Rayza Kat Christina

71. Craving something? A simple hand hold...😔.... compliment here or there . To not have to do everything myself... I crave the help I constantly ask for and never get. I crave dick, I just don’t understand this shit anymore.... damnit tumblr u struck a nerve .

72. What colour are your towels? Mixed

72. How many pillows do you sleep with? 1

73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? No

74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have?idk

75. Favourite animal? So many..... tigers maybe? & Lynx. Sharks.

76. What colour is your underwear? Not wearing any 😬

77. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate

78. Favourite ice cream flavour? Mint chocolate chip

79. What colour shirt are you wearing? Olive green

80. What colour pants? None on.

81. Favourite tv show? In the dark

82. Favourite movie? All 50 shades.

83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2? First one

84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street? How do these compare

85. Favourite character from Mean Girls? The Lebanese chick

86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo? Turtles

87. First person you talked to today? Gage

88. Last person you talked to today? Myself

89. Name a person you hate? Hate is a strong word.

90. Name a person you love? Gage

91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now? Lol Geoff

92. In a fight with someone? No

93. How many sweatpants do you have? No idea

94. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have?Too many

95. Last movie you watched? “What if”

96. Favourite actress? Perry Mattfeld

97. Favourite actor? Hmmmm

98. Do you tan a lot?yassss

99. Have any pets? A zoo

100. How are you feeling? Confused, tired burning out ..

101. Do you type fast? I try

102. Do you regret anything from your past? Yes

103. Can you spell well? Eh

104. Do you miss anyone from your past? Yes

105. Ever been to a bonfire party? Yes

106. Ever broken someone’s heart? Yes

107. Have you ever been on a horse? Yes

108. What should you be doing? Listing stuff on Etsy

109. Is something irritating you right now? No

110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt? Absolutely

111. Do you have trust issues? No, just don’t give me a reason too.

112. Who was the last person you cried in front of? Ohhhh I don’t cry in front of ppl,cause then there’s a witness... did cry today tho, but you couldn’t see me.

113. What was your childhood nickname? Angiefur

114. Have you ever been out of your province/state? Yes

115. Do you play the Wii?not really

116. Are you listening to music right now? No

117. Do you like chicken noodle soup? Yes

118. Do you like Chinese food? Yes

119. Favourite book? Crank

120. Are you afraid of the dark?some times

121. Are you mean? Don’t cross me 😘

122. Do you believe in “the one that got away”? Yes.

123. Can you keep white shoes clean? I try

124. Do you believe in love at first sight? Idk

125. Do you believe in true love? Yes

126. Are you currently bored? Yes

127. What makes you happy? Attention lol romance? I think romance is dead tho...

128. Would you change your name? My last name? If I were getting married, yes

129. What your zodiac sign? Leo

130. Do you like subway? Food yes, smelly train no....

131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? All my besties have vaginas, nothing to worry about.

132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? Steve

133. Favourite lyrics right now? Brand new : Jesus Christ

134. Can you count to one million? Yea but why

135. Dumbest lie you ever told? I don’t lie so I don’t have that problem

136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed? Closed Cause only 1 Of my 4 asshole cats I allowed in my room

137. How tall are you? Oh how short am I? 5’1

138. Curly or Straight hair? Straight

139. Brunette or Blonde? Right now black

140. Summer or Winter?summer

141. Night or Day? Summer nights

142. Favourite month? August

143. Are you a vegetarian? Keto

144. Dark, milk or white chocolate? Dark

145. Tea or Coffee? Coffee

146. Was today a good day? I think so

147. Mars or Snickers? Dark chocolate Milky Way

148. What’s your favourite quote? I’d have to think about it

149. Do you believe in ghosts? Yes

150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line on that page?

“His thumb brushes my lower lip, and his breath hitches. He’s staring into my eyes, and I hold his anxious, burning gaze for a moment, or maybe it’s forever…but eventually, my attention is drawn to his beautiful mouth. And for the first time in twenty-one years, I want to be kissed.”

Excerpt From

Fifty Shades Trilogy Bundle: Fifty Shades of Grey; Fifty Shades Darker; Fifty Shades Freed

E L James

This material may be protected by copyright.

[meadows-of-light]

Nina Nesbitt song lyrics writing prompts part 2:

1) You could turn this bar into a good time

2) Feel like I'm not needing anything

3) When you hold my body like my blood does

4) After I've had a couple drinks

5) You could turn this dive into a five-star

6) We can use your backseat as a bed

7) Race around the city like a gangster

8) At least until we're breaking down again

9) You see the best of me, oh

10) And you're making me believe, oh

11) That I'm somebody special

12) That I'm somebody, ya I'm somebody

13) That I don't have to settle

14) Not for nobody, not for nobody

15) I've been loosing myself but lately

16) You got me thinking maybe, I got potential

17) To be somebody, to be somebody

18) To be somebody special

19) I could just be dancing in the kitchen

20) Wearing your t-shirt like a dress

21) Treasure me like I cost a million

22) As you whisper under your breath

23) You would do anything, oh

24) Just to make me believe, me believe

25) I've been lonely way too long

26) I've been loving all the wrong kind

27) I've been falling in your arms

28) Feeling like I'm good here for life

29) You're just the statue of the boy I used to know

30) You're just a tattoo of the words that we once spoke

31) You're the dry river, where the love used to flow

32) But it still runs through me, with you it had to go

33) But if you take this back

34) I'll be waiting to come alive, come alive

35) If you turn your back

36) I'll be waiting to fly

37) But you're like the falling leaves

38) Whilst I'm still the oak tree

39) Cause you're the one to leave

40) Now I'm falling asleep

41) You're like the broken keys

42) Whilst I'm just a broken home

43) Cause as I breathe in deep

44) You're looking at me like a statue

45) Of the boy I used to know

46) You're just a lighter, with no fuel to light the flames

47) You know I'll fight for this, but you wouldn't do the same

48) Cause you're just a diary, with a blank and empty page

49) But the story we wrote, I can't quite erase

50) I'll watch you fall to the ground

51) 'Cause there's just stone in your eyes now

52) We had it all, till we were found

53) We're just living these lies now

54) And I breathe in deep

55) As I watch you leave

56) You're the statue

57) Of the boy I used to know.

58) I've been flying through the clouds alone

59) Looking for somebody to hold

60) And you're here, you're here

61) And I keep on falling

62) And we're higher than the birds that fly

63) And we're closer than the lowest sky

64) 'Cause you're here, you're here

65) And I keep on falling

66) For the way you feel like Autumn

67) When you wrap your body round the

68) Girl in me that's sometimes haunted

69) But we don't let the world

70) I wanna take you to heaven

71) I'm gonna make sure you never think you're here alone

72) If you meant forever

73) Then look at me now

74) Just one place left to go

75) I wanna show you heaven

76) So take a deep breath and I'll take you all the way

77) If you meant forever

78) Then look at me now

79) Look at me and say

80) I'll take you to heaven

81) Look at me now

82) Look at me and say

83) Everything that you've been wanting to say

84) Every part of me is for you to take

85) I'm here, I'm here

86) And I'm not going

87) 'Til you say that you're ready to go

88) 'Cause I don't ever want to be alone

89) Stay near, stay near

90) Let's keep on going.

91) Once, once upon a time

92) Thought that you'd be mine

93) But then you let your colors shine

94) I wanted to believe

95) That you were right for me

96) Well how could I be so naive

97) Now we're broken

98) Forget me not

99) I'm falling down and I can't stop

100) Let's go down to the apple tree

101) Naive as Adam and Eve

102) Let's go down to the apple tree

103) Fighting against gravity

104) Falling too deep

105) So can you catch me?

106) Twice, twice I caught you out

107) My head was in the clouds

108) But I woke up and came around

109) To see, you play stupid games

110) Temptation in your way

111) Cause I went so fast from love to hate

112) You keep playing, you keep playing

113) I keep praying, I keep praying

114) That we could have been us

115) You keep playing, you keep playing

116) I keep saying, I keep saying

117) That it should have been us.

118) Does she ever feel like me?

119) Run her fingers down your back

120) Do you ever talk about us?

121) Or is it just the bad times we had?

122) 'Cause baby it's been three weeks and I'm going out my mind

123) How does she taste, is it sweeter than mine was?

124) I've been using bodies just to get me through the night

125) Is it the same, huh?

126) 'Cause it's crazy that you're moving on so fast

127) But baby it's okay if I am still the best you had

128) And it hurts that you would just leave like that

129) But baby it's okay if I am still the best you had

130) If I am still the best you had

131) Nobody did it like us, nobody did like you did

132) Darling I know that we're fucked

133) But you know my ego is stupid

134) Tell everyone I hate her cause I am scared of how you feel

135) It's complicated

136) I don't want you, no nothing more

137) I don't need you, it's crazy that you're moving on so fast

138) When I am still the best you had.

139) Pretend you're happy, pretend we're fine

140) I guess that's easier after all this time

141) Talk about someone else then look in my eyes

142) I know you still hold on to us inside

143) But we watched that butterfly fly

144) I'd give anything just to be with you again but it's not the right time

145) And I'd give anything just to feel you on my skin

146) But it's not the right time and it'll never be the right time, will it?

147) It might never be the right time and that's the hardest part of it

148) I keep you in my mind even though you've gone

149) Holding on to nothing's easier than letting go

150) Stuck in the memory of what has been

151) Just please don't love another like you loved me

152) Time doesn't heal, it just leaves me asking why

153) And I don't know why I feel this way

154) If I could, I'd change, believe me

155) And I know that you feel the same, is it too late for saving?

156) Oh, here I go again

157) It'll never be the right time, will it?

158) Walking down Parsons green, I can feel the cold

159) The leaves in the park are turning brown, I'm twenty two years old

160) Crazy that I was stood right here just five years ago

161) With the heat on my skin and a lover who is now someone I don't know

162) You don't see it, when it's happening, happens overtime

163) First you're loving, then you're crying

164) Then you can't decide

165) My life's uncertain and sometimes strange

166) But one thing I've learned is it won't stay the same

167) Even in the darkness I'll be okay

168) The sun will come up, the seasons will change

169) Winter comes racing 'round, something 'bout the air

170) The fire's on and the chimney smoke is tangled in my hair

171) Crazy how much my life has changed in just in a year

172) There's people I've met, people I've left, and some that didn't make it here.

173) Sunday night, I'm lying on your body

174) With my legs wrapped round you

175) Like the safest kind of sorry I could give

176) Cause I know I've let you down before

177) Dimmed light coming in from the hallway

178) You're in your black jeans

179) I'm in white lingerie

180) And it's 3am, I'm lying awake thinking

181) That when I'm sad my eyes run like streams

182) But yours stay dry as you clench your teeth

183) And that's how I know that you're the one for me

184) Cause I think about you on the train

185) Love how you say my second name

186) It seems without you I'm insane

187) Now you're asleep but I'm gonna say it anyway

188) I love you

189) Moonlight on a sun kissed body

190) Put your ink on my skin till it comes off on me

191) The TV's on again, they're dead

192) There's zombies in the bed

193) When I'm sad my words run like streams

194) Flooding your ears till we dive too deep

195) But that's how I know that you're the one for me

196) Cause I think about you on the train

197) Love how you hate what's in your brain

198) Watching you sleep like I'm insane

199) Telling you things that I find hard to say

200) Like I love you

201) Remember when we'd sit out by the graves

202) Laughing and talking about life

203) You took me to heaven when I had no faith

204) And showed me what love is really like.

[aflyingcontradiction]

aflyingcontradiction reads a women’s magazine

So I recently got offered a free trial subscription to one of the most popular women’s magazines in Germany, “Freundin”. So I thought “Eh, it’s free” (yes, I did read the terms and conditions, as long as I don’t forget to cancel in time, it really is) - and now I’m holding Freundin 13/2020 in my hands. As women’s magazines aren’t exactly my usual leisure read, my curiosity is mostly of a sociological nature. What is it that the average German woman between the ages of 25 and 49 (Ottilie Normalverbraucher, if you will) wants to read about?

Well, have some impressions (below the cut, ‘cause this is a long post nobody asked for)

The thing that jumped out at me first is: Half the magazine is fucking ads. Some of them are actual ads, some of them pretend to be content, but are really just lists of “Here, have some clothing/make-up/decorative items and here’s where you can buy them for the cheap, cheap price of HOLY FUCKING SHIT WHO SPENDS OVER 140 € ON A BATHING SUIT?” (Perhaps the people who actually spend 3 € a magazine to read advertisements...)

Some of the actual ads are rather entertaining, though. Like, for instance, an oddly passive aggressive ad for homeopathy featuring a woman saying that she, like 30 million other Germans has great experiences with homeopathy (let’s not think too hard about where they pulled that number from) and that she should get to decide what goes in her body. And yes, of course, she should, but I’d still like doctors and pharmacists to give advice based on current scientific knowledge and call out homeopathy for the bullshit that it is - a preference which has fortunately been getting more airtime in Germany recently (about time!) so I’m pretty sure this ad is responding to that development.

Throughout the magazine, there are small interviews with various people (authors, artists, ‘average women’) and most of them are ... I don’t want to be mean, but just - incredibly vapid? “What makes you a good friend?”, “What makes you laugh?”, “What’s your favourite place?” Am I expected to care about this? Tell me what it is these people actually do! Let them talk about their work or their calling or the event that changed their life forever or SOMETHING relevant. Tell me why they’re in your magazine in the first place!

There’s a small agony aunt section and one of the letters features a woman worried about her partner wanting to buy a motorbike because she’s afraid he’ll get into an accident. And the answer is the fairly reasonable and predictable “Discuss it like grown-ups” stuff, but starts with “It’s unlikely that prohibiting him from buying the bike will help” ... erm, the fuck kind of assumption about relationships is that? He’s (hopefully) a grown-ass adult, why are you even assuming his partner is trying to “prohibit” something. She’s not his mother!

There is, as expected, some plague content and some of it is about as obnoxiously sappy and “inspirational” as one might expect (”I have really learned to value my neighbours”, “The lockdown has taught me what’s really important in my life”, “Let’s look to a brighter future”). But some of it is also just surprisingly honest. One of their editors admits to breaking down crying or randomly getting so angry that nobody can stand to be around her (ain’t that a mood), a mother writes an angry rant about the fact that the German government doesn’t give a shit about the effect of the school and daycare closures on children, a chef talks about the effects of the lockdown on her work. One woman says she will be careful about touching people she likes in the future, even after the crisis is over and sells it as “taking better care of her health” and now I’m sad...

Otherwise the articles vary wildly in quality: There’s an article about women’s midlife crisis which is mostly a collection of platitudes and generational stereotypes. There’s a surprisingly good article about coping with the sudden death of a partner that advocates for a healthier conversation about death, which is very much up my alley. There’s a series of pictures of women coming to terms with and being proud of their physical “flaws”, which is basically body positivity 101, but hey, I’d rather that than diet advice.

The list of outdoor hobbies with pros and cons is surprisingly fun. Maybe I ought to get into foraging... (like that’s actually going to happen).

The recipes also look rather delicious, I think I’m going to pass those on to my brother in law ‘cause I don’t actually cook...

There’s summer travel tips, which seems a tad optimistic, but okay.

Why does the classifieds page have literally four separate offers for tarot card services and one thing that looks suspiciously like an MLM?

And on the last pages there are, of course, horoscopes. Mine tells me that the reason I’ve been so emotional recently is Venus. And here I thought it was depression and anxiety exacerbated by a mismanaged global crisis. The more you know.

All in all, I expected a lot of this, I’m surprised by some things (both positively and negatively) and I’m definitely not going to become a regular reader but that won’t stop me from spamming y’all with my impressions when I get the next magazine.

[eponymous-rose]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E65 (June 4, 2019)

Are we on the internet? Probably! Either way, Travis goes falsetto and Marisha’s playing with a pillow. Brian: “We’re back. ...on the air.”

Tonight’s guests are Marisha Ray and Travis Willingham!

Announcements: Last night was a special one-off episode of Between the Sheets featuring Ashley Johnson! It’s an awfully good one, and you can watch it right this very moment if you’re subscribed on Twitch, or on Wednesday on YouTube if you’re not. The very first Between the Sheets t-shirt (”Baby Got Backstory”) is available for preorder on the site! If you missed the horror-themed promo for the shirt, it’ll come around again. There’s also a Pride t-shirt, and all the proceeds go to OutRight Action International! There’s also a huge thank-you to everyone at Denver Pop Culture Con and they marvel at the cosplay---they especially highlight a Grog who was bigger than Travis! There’s also a long discussion about Brian’s fly. Buttons are confusing.

Okay, okay, okay let’s get to Episode 65: Chases and Trees

Stats: At over 12 minutes, this was the longest DnDBeyond ad. Travis: “But what do you do? Do you edit the Oscar-worthy performance of Marisha Ray?” There’s some rambling discussion about demonetized British currency, as you do. Dani, quietly: “We have questions...” Nott rolled the 300th player Natural 20! This episode also marks the first combat encounter Beau has ended with all of her ki points still available.

It is pointed out that Travis is wearing one of Liam’s sweaters over his legs to hide his shorts. Dani: “That sweater is for our protection.” Marisha: “Everyone is blinded for 60 seconds.” Brian: “The next thing you’re going to hear in your visions is ‘Ṣ̛̪͉̭͈͍ͅP̦R̭A̘͙̲͇̭Y̦͜ͅ-͜T̡A̴̫̣͎̹N͉͍’ .”

[id: Travis coyly pushing the sweater back, revealing his untanned legs. Marisha looks amused and exasperated. end id]

Kiri was contacted for the first time in 40 episodes or 140 in-game days!

Marisha and Travis commiserate over what it’s like to be very awesome but not specifically in a flashy, magical way like the rest of the party. Marisha: “I’ll just do yoga on the horses.”

At first, Travis thought the figure in the vision was going to be Fjord’s mother, but once it played out, he realized it was probably the Wildmother and he’s definitely going to talk to Caduceus about it. “I’ll fucking sip some tea. I don’t give a shit. I’ll help him grow some dead people fungus. I’ll help him make some Smurfs.”

Marisha points out that Beau is pretty self-deprecating about her abilities, even when they include sprinting up the side of a 400-foot tree. "She assumes everyone hates her because she hates herself first. And once again, everyone around her can do crazy magic shit. She’s going to figure it out, but I think it’s going to take something. Talk to Beau. Don’t talk to me.”

Brian: “Travis, continue to sit there like my Nana watching Jeopardy while answering this question...”

Travis on Fjord: “Look, he puts on a brave, stoic face, because that’s what he saw Vandren do; that’s what people in leadership positions do: they don’t show vulnerability. Yeah, it’s a fucking facade.” With no risk to him, there’s a genuine olive branch being offered, and he’s been desperately looking for that kind of rescue. “That was huge.”

Travis notes that he used his only two spell slots to run up that tree. “I thought we were gonna have a rest before BIG BIRD showed up.”

Beau is "kind of an introvert” and does better one-on-one because there’s less vulnerability than talking in front of multiple people, and she can take more time to think about what she’s going to say. But she’s also got Dairon in the back of her head reminding her not to get close to people. “She’s got a lot of walls, still. She’s getting there, though.”

Cosplay of the Week: a wonderful Keyleth (@teaandtails, photo by Jay Villanueva). Dani notes that the antlers are huge in person!

Travis had plans both for if someone else fell, and for if he fell, which is why he was so quick off the draw. There are some memories shared of campaign one’s Goldfish Incident. Marisha: “Look, in my brain, there was nothing that could have gone wrong!”

Beau opening up to Yasha was less about comforting her (”Beau’s not a comforter.”) and more about finally being able to talk to someone who would understand. Marisha had it in the back of her mind for a while, but didn’t want to bring it up in front of everybody.

Fjord didn’t understand that the tree was connected to the Wildmother when he damaged it, but Travis figures she was probably thinking along the lines of: “Fuck, aw, c’mon-- twice?! You’re gonna dent the thing! Should we just get rid of this asshole? Chosen one, my ass. I mean, that snake thing’s not a big deal, right?”

Beau thinks of her relationship with Tori as a bit of a “what not to do”, and that whole encounter is part of why she pushes people away and has such elaborate walls. There’s a very over-elaborate analogy in which Brian brings up the hypothetical of having lactose intolerance: Marisha: “Maybe loving ice cream isn’t the thing for him! Maybe it’s better to have never loved ice cream!” Brian: “But there’s lactose-free ice cream.”

Marisha was excited to have an opportunity to use her ability to run up vertical walls. “I was stoked! First opportunity I can get. And then to get down, I was like, ‘...it’ll be fine.’”

Fjord is feeling really encouraged that the gods can intervene in his pact with Uk’otoa. “The fact that they can get around and fuck with each other’s shit... aces.”

Fan Art of the Week: the Wildmother comforting Fjord. (@_strawberryfox_)

Brian: “Are we just putting our feet up on the coffee table? Is that what’s happening?” (Henry disapproves.)

[id: Travis, Marisha, and Brian lounging with their feet on the coffee table, while Henry glances up from his nap in a judging way. end id]

Fjord wasn’t relying on Feather Fall; he was going to Misty Step when he got close to the ground if it didn’t work out. Beau was definitely relying on Nott. They’re doing a better job of trusting each other and knowing each other’s abilities, but it’s still a work-in-progress.

Marisha notes that Fjord and Beau are on a similar page re: the Dynasty. “In my head, I wonder if I’m being a Tyrion Lannister about this.” (As someone who didn’t follow that show, I am smiling and nodding nervously through this whole discussion and hoping I don’t need to transcribe something I don’t understand.) Beau’s hoping that if they can keep going, their influence will help sway the Queen in a different way, or an option will present itself to avoid this kind of conflict. Fjord is cautiously optimistic, but he thinks “she still intends to nuke them, regardless.” Beau’s also hoping to find someone else in the upper echelon of the Dynasty who might have different opinions. The word “coup” gets thrown around a bit.

There’s a spell Fjord has that he hasn’t used yet at all (Travis doesn’t remember it at the moment), since he only has the two spell slots. Beau has the Preternatural Counter ability, but hasn’t had the opportunity to use it yet (Sentinel kind of supplants it most of the time).

Brian shows off his John-Wick-and-his-dog pins. Oh dear. Travis: “...that’s a weird pin set to have.” It was, of course, a gift from Ashley.

Biggest achievement for their characters thus far? Brian points out that not dying before level 9 and having had no huge falling-outs are genuinely big achievements. Marisha: “I feel like our characters have reached that kind of awkward point, where we were fighting and trying to figure each other out, and now we’re starting to find a common goal.” Travis: “Minus Caduceus. What’s that fucking guy all about? He turns people into tea and he’s got us thinking that’s normal!”

Dani: “Episode 66 on 6/6... WHAT DOES IT MEAN?”

[yehet-me-up]

Dead Giveaway

Pairing: Baekhyun x reader

Genre: fluff, comedy

Rating: PG13 for language

Word Count: 1,699

Request: something based off of she’s the man with any exo member would be amazing 👌🏻

Baekhyun shakes his head, almost dislodging the wig of long black hair. 'I can't believe I'm doing this.' 

'You're going to be great!' his sister says with so much enthusiasm he knows she's not entirely serious. 'Now stop moving, I need to put on this mascara. If you move too much I'll stab you in the eye.'

He scoffs loudly. 'Who is doing whom the favor here, exactly? Threatening me with violence is hardly a ‘thank you.'’

His sister sighs. 'I promise I wasn't threatening you, I was just warning you. I appreciate it, seriously.'

Baekhyun folds his arms and nods. 'Better. I still can't believe I have to wear so much stuff on my face. You honestly do this every day?'

She rolls her eyes and blows the hair out of her face. She sticks her tongue between her teeth to concentrate, a mirror image of the same face he makes when he's losing at Fortnite. 

Having a twin will never not be weird. Especially when they happen to be a girl.

She steps back and looks him up and down. 'Perfect.'

'Hey, I look pretty good,' he says, looking in the mirror.

The way his eyes are highlighted with eyeliner and mascara brings out the warm amber color. And he'll admit that with long hair his face is set off nicely, not that he'd ever say that out loud of course.

She hands him her bookbag and a piece of paper. When she puts her hands on his shoulders and narrows her identical eyes at him she resembles a General talking to her troops.

'Okay, you can do this. Mrs. Potter, room 216. I circled it on the map,' she says, pointing to the room that has been highlighted in bright pink several times. 'Just get in, take the History final, and you can leave. That's all I need.'

'You sure you don't want to just study?' he teases, just to watch the way her cheeks get red with anger. He holds his hands up in surrender. 'I'm kidding, I'm kidding. She sounds horribly unfair. I'm more than happy to take this test for you; you know I love history. And you.'

She lightly punches him in the arm. 'Don't be gross, it doesn't suit you.'

He pouts dramatically. 'My darling sister doesn't believe that I love her? What a cruel world.'

She snorts and shoves him towards the door. 'Just get out of here already. Your debt is soon to be paid.'

Baekhyun salutes her and marches off towards her powder blue Prius, already wishing he didn't have to drive her car. This better earn me some major karma points.

The Lucy Stone All-Girls Preparatory Academy is conspicuously absent of the crowds of loitering teenagers like at PS 140 where he goes to school. No students smoking by their cars or eating behind the bleachers. 

Just an annoyingly well-manicured campus, rows of expensive cars, and several buildings of red brick that look like they were carbon copied from every promotional ad for fancy schools everywhere.

If he wasn't going to Stanford in the fall he might feel jealous his sister JunHee got to go somewhere so fancy. He also got to make fun of her for being the favorite for four years, so that helped.

He grins to himself as he walks up the stairs, wondering if anyone will be able to tell he's impersonating his sister for her first period final. The stuffed bra isn't as uncomfortable as he thought and the uniform skirt is nice and breezy. But his shoulders are undeniably wider and his jaw is sharper.

Baekhyun finally sees some students when he rounds the corner; a row of girls giggle at their lockers and look at him as he passes. Here goes nothing.

'Hey JunHee!' one of them calls out and waves.

'Hey!' he says back. Shit, his voice is much too low.

The girl looks at him in confusion and he coughs to hide his voice, making a motion to his throat and mouthing 'sore throat.' 

She softens and makes a pouty face. ‘Hope you feel better!’

The girl's friend, you, however, does not look convinced, and you narrow your eyes. He meets your gaze, unable to take his eyes off you and almost walks into a locker. 

Baekhyun recovers quickly, turning to hide his face before you figure out what's going on, and shuffles off in the direction of the classroom.

It's easy enough to find and the teacher doesn't even look up when he walks in. JunHee said she usually sits in the middle rows, close to the window, and he takes what he assumes to be the right seat. 

While the rest of the students file in he looks out the window at the tennis court outside, shaking his head with amusement.

'Excuse me, you're in my seat,' someone says next to him.

'Oh, I'm so-' he starts, making sure to raise his voice several pitches. When he sees you standing there, arms crossed and brow raised, he swallows nervously. 'Sorry, I'll move.'

He grabs his bag and stands, moving over a seat. Baekhyun hopes it's the right one. You don't need this class to get into college, but you need to ace this final to make sure you keep your spot at Sarah Lawrence and he doesn't want to mess it up.

You slide into the seat and start grabbing things out of your bag. Baekhyun can't help but watch the way your nimble fingers move, the way your hair falls in your face. It looks so rich and soft he wants to bury his face in it. You straighten and look at him, brushing your hair behind your ear.

'You usually in the seat behind me, FYI,' you say with a smug wink, nodding your head back.

He groans and moves once again. 'Thanks.'

'Don't mention it,' you counter, looking down at his bare legs pointedly. 'By the way, JunHee I didn't know you’d started going au naturale.'

He sticks a leg out and you smother a laugh. The hair on his legs is thick and dark, very unlike his sister’s usual style. 'Ah crap.'

For long moments the two of you regard each other. Then the teacher clears her throat at the front of the class and reluctantly you turn away, taking your amused smile and warm eyes with you.

The test is easy, even for such a fancy school. 

Baekhyun finishes in record time, before anyone else, but he keeps pretending to write since he knows his sister isn't a history prodigy like he is. He resists tapping his pencil on the desk or humming and instead focuses on the outline of your cheek and wonders what it would be like to kiss you. If you’re the type to grin and close your eyes when he’ll do something sweet. If you’d tease him. If you’d kiss him back.

Moments later, you finish your test, almost as fast as he did. With confident motions you flip the pages back to the front and stand. He doesn't resist watching you walk to the teacher to hand in the paper, allowing himself to admire the curves of your body. 

When you walk back towards him you give him a wink that makes his heart flip.

This is insane, he tells himself as you slide back into your seat. Really, Baekhyun, you're gonna find someone to crush on, a week before high school graduation? At your sister's school? 

He sighs, but he also stands and confidently hands in the test, proud to be the second one done.

He gives you a smug smile and slides into his own chair. There's fifteen minutes left in the class and he lounges in the chair. He's almost home free.

But then you deposit a small folded piece of paper onto his desk, so quickly he almost doesn't notice. He gets a thrill in his chest and can’t fight his grin, when was the last time someone passed him a note? 

So, you're not JunHee, obviously. Who are you?

He hesitates, staring at the back of your head as though he can see through to your thoughts. Baekhyun wonders if you're nice, asking out of curiosity. Or if you're going to rat him out.

If I tell you, are you going to tell the teacher? he writes back. He refolds the paper and casually slips it over your shoulder, dropping it into your lap.

You snort quietly and turn around to give him an eye roll. He watches you write, feeling both nervous and excited.

The paper appears on his desk again. I'm not a snitch, I'm just wondering why there's suddenly a cute guy in my US History final.

He smiles to himself and writes out a response. So, you think I'm cute? Baekhyun drops the note in your lap again and waits.

But you don't let him get off easy. That doesn't answer my question.

He smothers a laugh. So you’re a feisty one. I'm Baekhyun, JunHee's twin brother. I owed her a favor.

What did you do that you owed her a favor?

He pauses with his pen to his lips, wondering if he should tell you. What do I have to lose?

She covered for me and my friends the other night when we snuck out to a concert. I... may have gotten my shirt caught on the fence and fallen on my face.

He watches your shoulders shake with suppressed laughter and raises his eyes to the sky for divine guidance. 

You'll have to show me that move sometime.

He bites his lip. No time like the present. How about tonight?

You're on Baekhyun. Your number is written underneath along with your name.

The bell rings and he tucks the note safely in the tiny pocket of the uniform shirt. You stand and lean down to whisper in his ear. ‘Now you should get out of here before anyone else figures out your completely obvious disguise.’

He nods, looking up into your eyes full of laughter. ‘Thanks, I’ll do that.’ 

Baekhyun follows you out of the class and dashes off towards the car, his job done.

[nightunite]

I'm the soft sibling but... A-all of them??

I’ve been waiting, my sibster...

1. Who was the last person you held hands with?

Probably @safetyfirstbiatch

 2. Are you outgoing or shy? 

Shy in the beginning, outgoing afterwards!

3. Who are you looking forward to seeing? 

@safetyfirstbiatch @tricksandmagix

4. Are you easy to get along with? 

Sometimes

5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you? 

Probably not

6. What kind of people are you attracted to? 

Loyal, funny, can tease me like I tease them, won’t mock my anxiety, etc.

7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now? 

Nope

8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind? 

Gonna say Bucky Barnes

9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable? 

Nah

10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with? 

@binkysteebnpewter @breadgenie892 @fuzzy-cloud-head-queen @andyl394

11. What does the most recent text that you sent say? 

“I might post this on tumblr”

12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now? 

Blink-182: Black rain

Halsey&Marina Mashup: Gasoline and Savages

Saweetie: My type

Dermot Kennedy: Power Over You

chillpill: Fuck the Club

13. Do you like it when people play with your hair? 

Nope

14. Do you believe in luck and miracles? 

Yep

15. What good thing happened this summer? 

SHAVED ICE AND THE FAM

16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? 

Nah

17. Do you think there is life on other planets? 

Yes

18. Do you still talk to your first crush? 

Nah

19. Do you like bubble baths? 

Yes

20. Do you like your neighbors? 

Nah

21. What are you bad habits? 

Impulsive, loud, awkward, dont like vacuuming

22. Where would you like to travel? 

Yes

23. Do you have trust issues? 

Yes

24. Favorite part of your daily routine? 

Nap time

25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with? 

Thighs

26. What do you do when you wake up? 

Play Animal Crossing

27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker? 

No but I wish it was healthy

28. Who are you most comfortable around? 

@safetyfirstbiatch

29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up? 

Yup

30. Do you ever want to get married? 

Sure

31. If your hair long enough for a pony tail? 

It’s always up so yeah

32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with?

None?

 33. Spell your name with your chin. 

(Cant attempt this tbh I have a big ol hormone zit about ready to pop)

34. Do you play sports? What sports? 

Nope

35. Would you rather live without TV or music? 

Without TV

36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them? 

Of course!

37. What do you say during awkward silences?

Some stupid joke or story

 38. Describe your dream girl/guy? 

I’ve answered this in previous asks but see #6

39. What are your favorite stores to shop in? 

Lush, Barnes&Noble, Candy Stores

40. What do you want to do after high school? 

I’m already a college graduate, but lab work

41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance? 

No

42. If your being extremely quiet what does it mean? 

I’m either busy, sleeping, or anxious

43. Do you smile at strangers? 

Sometimes

44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean?

Outer space

 45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning? 

Animal Crossing and food

46. What are you paranoid about?

Everything tbh anxiety sucks 

47. Have you ever been high? 

No

48. Have you ever been drunk? 

No

49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about? 

No but I’ve been hella simping

50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore? 

Grey and yellow, my hufflepuff hoodie

51. Ever wished you were someone else?

Nah

 52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself? 

Have healthier skin aka no genetic issues

53. Favourite makeup brand?

Dont wear any

 54. Favourite store? 

Barnes&Noble

55. Favourite blog? 

@bunjywunjy

56. Favourite colour? 

Periwinkle

57. Favourite food? 

I’m a slut for pretzel bites right now

58. Last thing you ate? 

Cheese ravioli

59. First thing you ate this morning?

Sour cream&onion chips

 60. Ever won a competition? For what? 

Won a ribbon for a literary contest

61. Been suspended/expelled? For what? 

Nah

62. Been arrested? For what? 

Nah

63. Ever been in love? 

Don’t know tbh

64. Tell us the story of your first kiss? 

Already answered this on previous asks, but it was after a movie in his car

65. Are you hungry right now? 

Nah

66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends? 

Nah, they’re equal

67. Facebook or Twitter? 

Twitter

68. Twitter or Tumblr? 

Tumblr

69. Are you watching tv right now? 

Nah

70. Names of your bestfriends? 

@safetyfirstbiatch @tricksandmagix

71. Craving something? What? 

Shaved ice, blue raspberry and lime flavor

72. What colour are your towels? 

Salmon pink and mold green, got em real ugly

72. How many pillows do you sleep with? 

2, one under my head and one against my side

73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? 

Yup a Totodile

74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have? 

Like 80+

75. Favourite animal? 

Frogs

76. What colour is your underwear? 

Black

77. Chocolate or Vanilla? 

Chocolate

78. Favourite ice cream flavour? 

Chocolate

79. What colour shirt are you wearing? 

Black

80. What colour pants? 

Black

81. Favourite tv show? 

Masterchef

82. Favourite movie? 

James and the Giant Peach

83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2? 

Mean Girls

84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street? 

Mean Girls

85. Favourite character from Mean Girls? 

Janis

86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo? 

Dory

87. First person you talked to today? 

The fam

88. Last person you talked to today? 

The fam

89. Name a person you hate? 

Trump

90. Name a person you love? 

@safetyfirstbiatch

91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now? 

Anti-vaxxers

92. In a fight with someone? 

Nah

93. How many sweatpants do you have? 

2 pairs

94. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have? 

like 6

95. Last movie you watched? 

Sky High (I regret nothing)

96. Favourite actress? 

Zendaya

97. Favourite actor? 

Sebastian Stan

98. Do you tan a lot? 

Nope

99. Have any pets? 

A cat and a corgi

100. How are you feeling? 

Pretty alright

101. Do you type fast? 

Yup!

102. Do you regret anything from your past? 

A couple things, time I wish I had listened better

103. Can you spell well? 

Decently

104. Do you miss anyone from your past? 

Not really

105. Ever been to a bonfire party? 

Nope!

106. Ever broken someone’s heart? 

Probably but I was never told

107. Have you ever been on a horse? 

Nope

108. What should you be doing? 

Sleeping

109. Is something irritating you right now? 

My back

110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt? 

Yup!

111. Do you have trust issues?

Of course

 112. Who was the last person you cried in front of? 

@safetyfirstbiatch while laughing I’m pretty sure

113. What was your childhood nickname? 

‘Hey you’

114. Have you ever been out of your province/state? 

Yes, been to several other states and the Bahamas

115. Do you play the Wii? 

I used, played so much Harvest Moon Animal Parade

116. Are you listening to music right now? 

Yup, mothra’s theme

117. Do you like chicken noodle soup? 

Nope

118. Do you like Chinese food? 

Nope

119. Favourite book? 

The Serpent King is one of my favorites

120. Are you afraid of the dark?

Nah

 121. Are you mean? 

Sometimes

122. Is cheating ever okay? 

In extreme extenuating circumstances like ‘You refuse to let me out of this marriage despite knowing we don’t even like each other’

123. Can you keep white shoes clean? 

Somewhat yeah

124. Do you believe in love at first sight? 

Yeah

125. Do you believe in true love?

Yeah

 126. Are you currently bored? 

Nah

127. What makes you happy? 

Little things; rain, smell of a new book, soft sheets.

128. Would you change your name? 

Nah

129. What your zodiac sign? 

Leo

130. Do you like subway? 

Nah

131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? 

Either let em down easy or see if it works

132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? 

The fam

133. Favourite lyrics right now? 

Dont have any honestly

134. Can you count to one million? 

Sure but it takes a while

135. Dumbest lie you ever told?

‘Can’t go, Mom needs me to watch the dog’ -Dog is in fact being taken to daycare in plain view of person

 136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed? 

Open a crack

137. How tall are you?

5′6

 138. Curly or Straight hair? 

Wavy

139. Brunette or Blonde? 

Brunette

140. Summer or Winter? 

Fuck both, Fall

141. Night or Day? 

Night

142. Favourite month? 

July

143. Are you a vegetarian?

Nope

 144. Dark, milk or white chocolate?

Milk

 145. Tea or Coffee? 

Neither, soda

146. Was today a good day?

Yeah it was pretty great

147. Mars or Snickers?

Snickers even though I have a peanut sensitivity

 148. What’s your favourite quote?

Don’t have one, sorry

 149. Do you believe in ghosts? 

Yup! 

150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line on that page? 

“This is madness” - Sorcery of Thorns