#it really makes me want to look more into goncharovs life he’s a really interesting man

[moyurukoda]

Finally got around to watching Goncharov, god what a film

[peopleareaproblem]

She's got a body like an hourglass That's ticking like a clock

Y'all are absolutely sleeping on a major part of Katya's arc.

Obviously we all love the queer subtext and shipping Katya and Sofia, but like. I'm honestly pretty tired of all analysis of media just boiling down to ships and romance. Katya is a really interesting character as-is, and it's worth exploring.

I've seen posts on here (this one by @notcaycepollard is really good) exploring the themes of food and eating in the film. And like yes absolutely. To quote that specific post (bold emphasis mine):

the rigid enforcement of domesticity as represented by the meals goncharov conspicuously fails to eat with katya [...] to me I think it speaks just as much about how trapped katya is by social expectations too. she tries so hard to perform the role of the good wife, polishing the fucking silverware and making blini [...] by the end of the film these conflicts are resolved with goncharov and katya at the table on the street, finally eating together but in a way that’s not constrained by the trappings of domesticity or the expectation of remaining true to your roots, katya is finally seen by goncharov as a whole person with her own internal life and he’s able to break bread with her, that final shot of them drinking wine with the church behind them, it’s just, the catholicism in this film is a lot okay

And this is an excellent analysis of these scenes, I totally agree with this take. BUT I think it leaves off a really important element. These scenes, Katya's struggle with performing domesticity with Goncharov, or arguably his failure to hold up his end of the marriage, are a direct metaphor for their inability to have children.

Throughout the film everyone's running out of time, the clock symbolism throughout, and then the scene where the men are assembling their weapons intercut with Katya getting dressed and putting on makeup — because her body is her weapon, and instead of her life being what is at risk of ending, for Katya it is her biological clock that is ticking. Her figure gets literally compared to an hour glass by Mario, and visually that metaphor is implied a couple of times as well.

Yeah I know it's a kind of misogynistic trope nowadays but this movie is from the 70's and was honestly kind of groundbreaking at the time (but it's for sure written and directed by men so like). I absolutely 100% believe that Goncharov and Katya as a couple cannot have children.

It's really conspicuous when you start looking for it. Obviously all the times Katya tries to make her husband food, always always traditional russial food, she's so clearly trying to cling to a traditional family life when it absolutely is crumbling in front of her. And idk if she's literally infertile or if Goncharov just won't sleep with her or what, that's a whole other discussion tbh, but I think Katya wants, or believes she should want, to have children. When her brother Valery pops up he makes these comments about their house being quiet, immediately followed up by talking about his own wife being pregnant again — very clearly implying like "why don't you have kids??". And once you look at the cinematography with this perspective in mind you can really see how shots of Katya and Goncharov are framed in these like kind of wide shots that really would make a lot more sense if there were kids in the shot, and like. Her walking past the playschool? The bit at the market where we see the mother and daughter, and then pan to Katya all by herself? Come on.

Which brings me to Sofia's character. And yes again we all love to read this relationship as sapphic af and this theory isn't necessarily incompatible with that? But basically fundamentally Sofia is written as a parallell to Katya. Really well portrayed in this image by @mimiadraws:

And a HUGE aspect of that is the fact that Sofia has children and Katya does not. Sofia's effortlessness when it comes to the gelato and the anchovies compared with Katya's struggles with food throughout the film really underscore the food as a parallel to motherhood to me. Katya sees in Sofia something that she does not believe she can ever have: this figure of the effortless woman, doing what she believes a woman is supposed to be doing: having children, making food, having a "normal" domestic life. Interestingly we never actually see inside of Sofia's own home, and we barely meet her children. But Katya still projects this perfect version of herself onto Sofia. (Which like I honestly think makes the sapphic reading more interesting? Who among us has not struggled to recognize wether we wanted to be her or be with her?)

And then you have Katya and Goncharov's final scene together, finally effortlestly eating together at the market. They have both finally embraced Naples and left their old life behind, and only then can they fulfill this element of their relationship...

Anyway Katya is pregnant when the movie ends. Change my mind. (You can't.)

[feralshadowdemon]

HELLO

ivan, chuuya, fukuchi, tetchou, AAAAND

yosano

HELLO!!!!!!!!! THIS IS GOING TO BE LONG ivan goncharov first impression: oh how did fyodor fuck you up (did not know/realize he was lobotomized either) impression now: ohh he's my silly. his english dub voice gives me gender envy. i like his eyes. he is weirdly a well-written lobotomized guy. i looked into actual lobotomy for you favorite moment: his entire fight scene was good and more people should talk about it. signed yours truly me idea for a story: primarily? a general character study, however, - bubble bath. it is a character study with him and shibusawa. not set in canon - highschool au. he deserves to be a normal highschool student. he would swear a sweater vest. i will die on this hill unpopular opinion: his character is really fucking good and yes his ability's name is on the nose but i hope we see him again. i don't like shipping him in canon though bc he can't. Consent. Fyovan should not exist. also i think more people should be paying attention to the bsd side characters favorite relationship: shibuvan/shibusawa x ivan and you know it. my #1 comfort ship in my heart. they are so cute <3 favorite headcanon: he has tics and freckles. also sometimes i like making him trans the others are below v

chuuya nakahara first impression: oh he's cool impression now: I WANT TO BE YOU YOUR CHARACTER IS SO COOL GIVE ME YOUR GENDER YOUR CHARACTER SCRATCHES MY BRAIN YOUR ABILITY IS SO COOL. I AM NOT NORMAL. favorite moment: THE HELICOPTER SCENE OH MY GODD idea for a story: i have many! - hirotsu visits him during a stormy night and he's suffering w chronic pains but hirotsu gets him his meds. they get to talk a little. they are silly to me - summer camp au w dazai they are at war constantly - i have too many, but to briefly summarize the rest: fan dancer and kitsune au, meiji era/period au, chuuya and kouyou fic/character study, there will be more after i read stormbringer unpopular opinion: he probably doesn't have anger issues. might just be agitated easily or because of dazai. also people need to stop getting his character soo wrong because the amount of mischaracterization that surrounds that man is NOT funny favorite relationship: people sleep on his and hirotsu's possible dynamic. next one is well. okay. it's obvious, but soukoku, i just like their dynamic whether it's romantic or not. absolute menaces. shoutout to kunichuuzai also, but i honestly cannot ship that man all the time. bonus platonic relationships i really like is the idea of tetchou and chuuya becoming good fucking friends. let chuuya have so many friends to make up for the ones he's lost favorite headcanon(s): freckles chuuya, lightning scars chuuya, nonbinary chuuya (i dont use they/them for them all the time but i am a believer in it), chronic pains, autistic, metal/rock (the song genre) lover, sanrio and ocean life special interest, also demisexual/demiromantic !! sorry they have the most. favoritism is showing fukuchi ochi

first impression: oh doesn't he kill everybody's faves. meh impression now: YOUR CHARACTER AND WRITING IS SO OVERLOOKED. YOU ARE DAD MATERIAL AND THAT SCARES ME BUT IM ALSO :D ABOUT IT favorite moment: the entire fucking fight he has with atsushi and akutagawa. you don't understand he was both terrifying and also that gave me an actual adrenaline rush once i watched it in the anime. the music was so good. also the scene w aya !! idea for a story: the main one is a fukufuku fic where it goes through how overtime, fukuzawa in fukuchi's eyes is more like a wolf than a human being. it's his way of making it hurt less when he has to hurt him. i cant remember any others, but i hope there will be more unpopular opinion: can the fandom not hate on him so much lmao i dont mind seeing people dislike him that's valid but like. give him a chance i swear. he also can be trusted with children favorite relationship: him and fukuzawa's (romantically or platonically idrc). holy shit. holy shit. holy shi- also bonus shoutout to him and ranpo's!! it is not shown a lot but augh. of course i love his relationship with the hunting dogs too but fukufuku sits at the top favorite headcanon: hm. i can't think of any rn tetchou suehiro

first impression: AUTISTIC impression now: AUTISTIC favorite moment: them and kenji's fight >>>>> idea for a story: they are a samurai and they meet jouno along the way. they stay with fukuchi after having a rough run-in with an innkeeper and some people who are after them. they smell like blossoms unpopular opinion: i wish people wrote them beating up people more they're literally one of the strongest characters (physically specifically) of bsd favorite relationship: them and jouno's is peak favorite headcanon: asexual and nonbinary tetchou for the win. my most favorite one of all time though is them being half-taiwanese :] akiko yosano (surprise???)

first impression: please be well written. impression now: she is so cool!! i wish she had more screentime but oh my god she is so cool <33333 she is fun in the manga and i love her so much favorite moment: her backstory i wanna say. we don't get too much content of her but damn her backstory hits hard. it adds so much to her character and i love her a lot idea for a story: she and fukuzawa go shopping together. i think she also deserves some fics w fukuzawa. they have a fun time !! unpopular opinion: not a fan of kousano favorite relationship: her and ranpo's. siblings your honor, absolute siblings, ALSO THAT ONE SCENE IN HER BACKSTORY WHERE HE KNEELS DOWN TO HER AND SHES CRYING AND SJJSDHHFBBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA favorite headcanon: aro/ace yosano is cool. very cool. aro/ace yosano.? holds her out to you. Consider

[joyful-soul-collector]

The Card Counter

Welcome to me reacting to Oscar Isaac Movies (and other movies if people like these/if I just feel like it). I know nothing about this movie except that Oscar is in it and that's all I need to know anyway, let's GO:

The only reason I know Martin Scorsese's name is because he did Goncharov

I know nothing about gambling so I'm sure this will make zero sense to me

"I like the routine, I like the regimen" He's autistic, I've decided

Interesting to see his hair so straight, I've only seen it curly before

... Sir what in the hell did you do to your hotel room

KITTY

The eyebrow raise man...

Ok so I'm 90% sure this man is traumatized somehow. Jail possibly but likely somethin else, like what he got arrested for? Whatever that is

Oh my god it's Cyclops

Oh my god it's the Green Goblin

Oscar Isaac always plays sleep-deprived little meow meows

Jesus this kid has had a Life

Ya know how you casually suggest kidnap, torture, and murder

I'd quite like if Will became a father figure to Cirk, that'd be sweet. Reluctant father trope

Mr. Tell sir, I distinctly remember you saying that doing whatever it was with La Linda was a BAD idea

Awww he wants to help the kid!! Loving reluctant father Will

Dude could be a fuckin magician why is he gambling

Oh he is not. okay. Like at all. Didn't think he was but still.

If I knew how to play any of these games this scene would probably be a lot more anxiety inducing

"do you do anything else?" of course he doesn't, cards are his special interest, OBVIOUSLY

Something something Will and his drinks. Probably worth analyzing if I find the movie worth rewatching

He writes with a fountain pen interesting. Means he writes a lot, probably every day, you have to to keep the pen from drying out

I like the way they shoot the scenes in this place, with the fish eye? V interesting

Also this is absolutely horrifying

Probably not autism but actually PTSD but hey, who says he can't have both

Love a bloody little meow meow who feels so guilty he goads people into beating him up

This movie's music score is good

Haha he's nervous, he's fidgeting with the napkin. Worried about the kid

"What could be so bad" how bout torture and murder?

Also I figured out why he puts sheets all over his room and takes down the art. It's so every room he stays in looks the same. Likes the uniformity, routine, regimen, PSTD, autism, etc etc

Will in this grey suit.... I'm sure someone's made some gifs of it and I need them all STAT

"you live like this?" Hey That's The Thing Will Said Earlier To You

Oh shit he just yelled

Ya know I would prefer if we didn't torture the kid that was abused his whole life

Only 20,000 in debt?

Okay why is he so obsessed with this kids mom the woman abandoned him

"how'd you get him to do that" I was very physically threatening and probably gave him flashbacks of his father

Ik the whole hair swept back thing is his Look but he looks so much prettier with a few hairs out of place

OH SHIT FUCK CYCLOPS IS GONNA KILL THE GREEN GOBLIN

Shiiiiit this is gonna throw Will off his game so hard

PFFT DUDE JUST WENT BACK TO HIS HOTEL ROOM

Oh noooo, the kid got killed... Poor Will, he tried so hard to help him

He didn't even untie his sheets to take them with him

Oh shit he's in Goblin's house

Off to torture time!

Glad they're not showing any of this I didn't really wanna see the actual torture

Oh his finger is NOT secured to his hand okay

Damn he's turning himself in. Fair enough.

V interesting movie for sure! Not sure it's one I'll rewatch so there probably won't be any further analysis posted but it's definitely a movie Oscar did well in and has a good story!

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

what are your top 10 quotes from Martin Scorsese's Goncharov?

There's no particular order to the quotes, but these are all favorites, or at least notable moments in the films I've seen:

"I hate my wife. I hate her to the point that at times she almost seems like a part of myself. At times she reminds me of myself. I'm starting to get angry at her. I'm starting to hate her…" [The Caine Mutiny]

"I don't want to talk about it. I really don't want to talk to anyone right now." [The Conformist]

"For the first time in our lives, I realized my true name was Ivan." [The Grand Budapest Hotel]

"It's hard being in love with a woman, especially when you're not a woman." [The Departed]

"I hate you all. If I ever see any of you, I'll kill all of you. I'll kill you. I'll fucking kill you." [Silence of the Lambs]

"Don't think too much. It'll rot your brain." [The Wolf of Wall Street]

"I can feel it. In my bones. That he's already gone." [Goodfellas]

"He looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders." [Silence of the Lambs]

"If it wasn't for those meddling kids, we could have been eating candy for the rest of our lives!" [The Grinch]

"You've never had any ambition. You only ever had a few things you wanted to do on your list - write a book, make a painting… you've never done anything worthwhile with your life. I've known you since high school and I never heard you talk about what you wanted to do with your life. Not once." [Crimson Peak]

It's a bit of a mix there, with some more serious films and some more "wacky" ones (the "wacky" ones tend to skew "edgier" in their content though). I think one of the things I like about Scorsese is his use of voiceover in his movies, which draws attention to the characters' emotions even when those emotions aren't expressed as dialogue or actions. Also, he takes his time to set up scenes so that the audience can appreciate their beauty.

I hope that's a kind of explanation of what I find interesting about the films I've watched.

[deadwright]

I posted 9,593 times in 2022

45 posts created (0%)

9,548 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@do-you-have-a-flag

@his-name-is-ed

@grandmastattoo

@buglovescas

@wizardmullet69

I tagged 8,369 of my posts in 2022

Only 13% of my posts had no tags

#our flag means death - 1,131 posts

#spn - 1,021 posts

#stranger things - 999 posts

#star wars - 336 posts

#the mandalorian - 231 posts

#obi wan kenobi - 202 posts

#joseph quinn - 138 posts

#mcr - 129 posts

#succession - 128 posts

#goncharov - 120 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#he's soooo beautiful i would've blushed my way through the entire shopping experience and consciously tried not to buy anything embarrassing

I sent 1 gift in 2022

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

147 notes - Posted February 18, 2022

#4

hey!! sorry to bother but I was wondering if you have read any steddie fics at all or that you enjoyed..... I am very afraid of going into the tag without guidance and wanted to ask if you have any recs (I follow very little people in the fandom) !! :o) thank u anyways hope u have a good day

hello bestie! you're so right tbh i'm fighting for my life in this tag, but here are all the steddie fics that i really like so far (under the cut):

You Children Of Today (Are Children of the Grave) by CaptainHoney (E)

Fall Forever (and Never Look Behind) by CaptainHoney (E)

aka @grandmastattoo: chief steddie understander and purveyor of incredible fics and playlists. this series is my top favourite ever!!!!!

Promethean by CaptainHoney (E)

the tags say dead dove do not eat but boy did i FEAST

Whole Lotta Love by stereobone (E)

one of my favourite writers, all their fics are fantastic. speaking of:

Keep It for Me by stereobone (E)

i'm going to blame the full sobbing wailing breakdown i had over this on the fact that my wedding is also coming up, but who's going to believe me? certainly not me.

Some Things Cosmic by stereobone (E)

this got me in my feelings so bad oh my GOD i would do anything to make this real

Play It Right by stereobone (E)

every little character detail of this is just. i could chefs kiss until my fingers bleed about it all.

You're the Driver, You're the Road by stereobone (E)

Are You Flagging? by soidade (E)

one of the most popular steddie fics on ao3, if not thee most

stereoscope by seraphy (E)

just finished this one and woof! heavy on the delicious steve angst. i love when stranger things fics dive into the endless trauma so this one got me good.

make a deal with god by mcalpines (T)

SO very funny, one of my favourites ever!

Easy, Easy, Easy by judasofsuburbia (E)

what can i say, i adore a deeply comforting happily-ever-after future fic.

misgiven by palmviolet (T)

another good stranger things writer, their current wip has me hooked (more on that later)

Mutual Future by knell (E)

another funny one! i love when men are stupid <3

The Worst Mixtape Ever Made by nbfutureboy (M)

songfics can be so hit or miss, and this is an absolute hit. embarrassing for me that i genuinely love all the songs on the titular mixtape though.

See the full post

196 notes - Posted July 19, 2022

#3

edward teach and the 5 stages of grief

the soundtrack to blackbeard's daily breakdowns.

[an our flag means death mix]

208 notes - Posted March 28, 2022

#2

the tv tropes entry for goncharov (1973) is pretty interesting since it's obviously referencing the heavily edited tv version

katya wouldn't be just a 'mysterious woman' if they hadn't censored her relationship with sofia, despite how essential it is to the film. hope the resurgence of interest will highlight the misrepresentation that tanked its box office success in the first place

1,388 notes - Posted November 21, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

1,490 notes - Posted October 9, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[thequotorium]

I posted 3,266 times in 2022

That's 136 more posts than 2021!

3 posts created (0%)

3,263 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@profoverthink

@sandypenguin6

@fairytaleslayer

@neoncomets

@super-rangers

I tagged 1,438 of my posts in 2022

#video - 282 posts

#arcane - 63 posts

#goncharov - 62 posts

#mob psycho 100 - 48 posts

#iconic - 47 posts

#art - 45 posts

#snk - 44 posts

#cats - 38 posts

#pjo - 37 posts

#botw - 30 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#i've been in montreal for awhile and when ppl visit i have to remember they don't walk everywhere bc they get so frustrated with walking 😅

My Top Posts in 2022:

#3

Scrimblo bimblo and horse plinko for the ask! 😊

thanks for sending me these my dude!! it was arcane for the fandom in question

scrimblo bimblo: 

im not even sure if this counts as underappreciated, but definitely viktor. i mean, the thing is he’s always put in the context of ships in fandom but is it not enough to appreciate him just as himself? the amount of screenshots i have of this man........close runner up is mel for sure

horse plinko: 

arcane does a really good job of making the annoying characters sympathetic so i say this with no great pleasure but probably marcus???? idk he needed to learn to pick his battles

0 notes - Posted February 13, 2022

#2

i know tumblr isn’t my blog audience, but here’s the link to my newest post all the same. I had a difficult year and I’m looking forward to finally getting back into writing after a challenging season of depression and damage control. Thanks! 

1 note - Posted September 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Just finished up my first proper article after returning from hiatus! I looked at a few of my fav abridged series and what they do narratively. Read on for lots of fun analysis!

32 notes - Posted November 2, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[lizyarikus]

Childhood Harry Potter fan talking about learning about all the ways HP has been questionable (not "badly written", questionable ethically). Random thoughts. Fever posting.

Not being an English speaker (and a child. I wouldn't learn English well enough for nearly a decade after I first read the books), reading in translations, really made the poor [insert here] representation miss completely.

I didnt know there was an ethnic diversity painted in caricatures. Because could not tell apart a normal English name from a whimsy fairytale name from an ethnic or pseudo-ethnic name.

I'm Jewish, I didnt know the one kid with an Ashkenazi last name was Jewish, because to me it was "yup he has -man in his name that's an English word checks out".

I just assumed most names were Fantasy Keysmash and some were English Puns. Look, there's a ' in that surname, real names don't do that, how magical, also what's an Ireland? (To be fair, i probably knew Ireland exists, but not anything about the language or surnames, because I was like nine and the world was big).

Here's a nonsensical magical-sounding alliterative name that one of the translations memorably, and universally hated, made into Evilly Evil, here's another nonsensical magical-sounding alliterative name - oh she's Asian? I thought they were just doing whatever appearance casting for background characters in the movie version because all kids wanted to play in Harry Potter and they picked most of them by the vibes, except for the ones who really have to be ginger. I never cared about the movies much anyway. She was Asian in the original books too? I was supposed to be able to tell by the name?

In the first chapter of the first book it's explicitly stated that the uncle hears "Harry Potter" on the street and is surprised. Maybe it was Harvey or Harold? he asks himself, knowing it's not. I read that and my brain went "Harry is a weird magical name that's why he knows it can't be a coincidence. No one in the normal world is called Harry". Imagine my shock when I saw a real person called that on the news - in the English monarchy. I believe the moment I realized "Potter" is English for Goncharov was when I, years later, downloaded a mobile game called "Let's Create! Pottery" where you swipe to make vases the right shape.

I remember reading the name Draco for the first time and thinking "how funny, the author made up a random name and it accidentally sounds like Dragon without the last letter to me", because I didn't know that word root is in many languages and that was on purpose. He did mention it in the text somewhere later, so I was disillusioned of that one quickly.

And, of course, some people criticized the books. Especially my dad. They're stupid children's books and everything I like is invalid automatically because he has Pure Perfect Interests and I am into Dumb Shit For Babies. Even if we like the same stuff, my way of liking it is the incorrect one and he likes it for the right reasons by the way I'm reading JKR's new detective book it's good because it's not babies fiction. But, along probably legit writing questions which for obvious reasons didn't stick with me for a decade, most criticisms were about things that were like that Conceptually, e. g. "why are the first books for kids and the last ones aren't?" (that's the point, the protagonist grows up and the reader grows up with him and the problems he encounters get less and less fairytale hero's journey and more and more real life adult problems like fascism), or Just British Things, e. g. "stupid school what's the point of sorting them if they have all the same classes" (because that's what fancy British boarding schools do, mostly to promote good grades by making learning competitive and to sort them in sports teams. Both of which happen in the book), or "why are they using s train" (English people as a culture love trains. Something something industrial revolution and the greatness of Victorian British Empire.)

We (aka, fandom I belonged to a few years later, I don't remember what I thought from the first reading) knew that slavery is there, we treated it as a plot hole - she didn't think too hard about the implications when she wrote them into her silly children's book and then she's suddenly writing a book for older teens and there's a slave species there. Hence the common fanon of "magical energy leeches that signed a contract to provide service in return for consumed magic instead of stealing it". I will not claim to know how much they are actually influenced by overt or subconscious racism.

Finally, "guy always explodes stuff" is a visual gag from the movies. He exploded something once in the book and they made it a reoccurring joke. You can still have questions towards everyone responsible for the movies (which includes JKR), but, strictly speaking, is not a source material thing.

That's all I've got, please don't get sick, kids, or you'll be writing on Tumblr about Harry Potter at 5 am because you feel too bad to sleep.

[talenlee]

July 2023 Wrapup!

Do you know that the majority of people who read my blog are in fact, super great and cool? It’s true, I have the analytics. No, you can’t see them. Why would you want to? Don’t you trust me? I’m very trustworthy and can be relied upon to have normal thoughts in my normal brain. I had it certified.

Anyway, it’s the end of a month, and I think it’d be good if you checked through this list of links and suggestions and see if there’s cool content on this blog you’d care about that you missed!

This month’s game piles were a video explaining the Ur-Quan Heresies, which was – effectively – a rebundling of an older article I wrote, and I wanted it to be more available for non-readers. Then, Fox and I talked about Bloc By Bloc, an excellent cooperative game about opposing fascist occupation by a mysterious fantasy faction called ‘the police.’ I talked about Small World too, which I liked a lot, as both a game that’s a lot of fun and a game that connects me to a beloved friend, with its fun experience of being an ideology. Then I talked about Unblock Gridlock, ASMR, and history of puzzle development.

For the Story Pile this month, I dedicated each week to one season of the series Person Of Interest (season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). I liked it! It’s a cool show! I thought it was interesting and it made me ask interesting questions! Also the way that I watched it during the choking, convulsing torment of the Large Language Model discourse happening, that was kinda weird. And one of the guys central to it, Jim CaVEIIEZEL, is a big ole poop head and he just recently put out a movie that sucks about an idea that sucks because he’s a big ole Qanon weirdo! That sucks!

This month’s other articles have included an ongoing diary working on Bloodwork (and I kinda got more to go on that). I talked about some real life changes, like watching more anime and getting a library card and having the language I use being clearly weird and awful. I also put a lot of work into talking about making things, and put some of that into practice even if uh, it was a bit rough to write!

I also talked about Worldbuilding in D&D a lot! I talked about the way that currency is a byproduct of organisation and technology. I talked about the city of Torrent, and its lightning muscle wizard monks! I talked about how people get started playing games, and I talked about how inadequate critical hits are as a mechanic for my preferences!

Also, I really hate Lord of the Rings in Magic: The Gathering. So avowed a hashtag hater am I that I’ve stopped watching Magic content entirely while I wait for the deforming cards from it to go away, which I really, really hope they do! Stupid bowmasters!

It doesn’t really fit anywhere in this, but I also busted open Camp Osum and got to work on fixing a mistake in its prototype. This means between Camp Osum, the Sonic Runner game, and Goncharov I have managed to conceive of about five games this month.

This month I did two shirt designs – this one because I knew I needed it for class teaching (and hopefully it’ll arrive in time for the semester’s end), but also because I saw a post on tumblr joking about it:

You can get this design here.

It has been a complicated month.

Remember that library card? I got it to try and borrow an ebook of Baru Cormorant because a friend likes that book series more than she likes The Locked Tomb. I figured that’d be a great place to go for that kinda thing. Turns out, while yes, okay, yes, the library has probably got those books, they have the physical books, which is… funny, and embarrassing to realise I didn’t consider that I might have to like, go look at them.

We have a bike. We have a bike that sits in our garage and if I can muster the courage I can get onto that bike and ride it a little down the road to the library. Hell, I could walk to the library! And then I’d be able to have those books to read. I wouldn’t be able to attest to finishing those books in time, of course. In time for what? I don’t know. Brain not work good.

New semester starts in a few days! That’s going to be exciting because it’s going to be able to do a lot of things I don’t normally get to do. I’ll have someone I can defer some work to! We even have lesson plans of structured material to engage with, it’s going to be so fun (That’s also what I’ve been doing these past few days, which is trying to digest lesson plans and make my slides)!

I’ve also been struggling really hard with work. I’m trying, trying, trying to do things, but I feel like I have this deep failure happening, like somehow I’m, not good enough and I’m not doing a good enough job. I promise this isn’t a crisis brought on by my age or by reading a book I liked. Nothing I feel should be seen as an attack on anything that prompted the feeling! It’s just a lot of reflection and personal distress about feeling like I’m always working and that work isn’t good enough.

There are all these things in my day to day life that I feel like I’m somehow just messing up with it on the most fundamental level. Like if I make dinner and clean up there’s going to be something afterwards I forgot to do right so that’s what’s going to stand out, that’s the thing I failed at rather than one small detail out of a large list of successful tasks. I’m very… failure sensitive? I guess? And it’s making me a bit lairy, I think. I want to vent about things that are doing a bad job of what they do, but there’s that ongoing feeling that if I’m too mean to a videogame I’m going to make someone cry.

Anyway, I think I can get a handle on it!

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[redvoid-40]

A Game for a Kiss

Don’t ask me where this came from. I’ve watched BSD a couple months ago and of course I got the hots for the feral rat-man. -.-

Anyway, slowly I came up with a little plot for an arc with some OCs (weird calling them OCs, when they’re all named after past writers but oh well) and even thought about developing it, but since I’m not in the mood to write a whole multi-chaptered fic, I decided to just write this interaction between Fyodor and my main OC for the BSD-universe, Mary Shelley. You know, as a treat. >.<

I know the fandom is super small, but I thought someone might enjoy this, so here it is! :)

Also, Fyodor might be OOC (it’s hard to get a full understanding of his character) but I see him as creepy-pretty, with no qualms in manipulating women in ways that border on dub-con. So... TW: some making out; Fyodor’s thoughts making it clear his morals are more twisted than a pretzel. 

Anyway, enjoy! :)

Part 1 / Part 2 (NSFW) / Part 3 (NSFW)

“How about a game?” Fyodor proposed, smiling from ear to ear as he moved a chessboard from the side table to the coffee table in front of them. It was small, with tiny and expensive crystal pieces that had a purely decorative role, but he had never minded playing with valuable and irreplaceable things before, so why start now? Much worse to die of boredom than to shatter a hundred-dollar pawn. “I heard you had quite the reputation at the Chess Club in Oxford.”

“It’s been a few years since I last played,” Mary admitted as placed her glass of anise-infused gin on the coffee table and reached out to touch the white king, as if she was caressing a long-lost lover. “Not sure I’ll be a worthy opponent to you, Mr Dostoevsky.”

“How about I give you some impetus then?” Fyodor asked, raising a sole eyebrow as Mary’s eyes shone with interest. “If you win, I’ll give you something. Something I know you want from me.”

Mary quickly pulled back, like a child caught with her hand in the cookie-jar. “You’re already doing so, and I’m eternally grateful for it. Helping me retrieve Adam and right my wrong is all I could ever hope for and more, Mr Dostoevsky. There’s nothing el-”

“A kiss.”

Fyodor’s smile widened and his eyes darkened as a pink dusted over Mary’s cheeks. Her dark eyes made it hard to discern her emotions, but if he were to guess, Fyodor would bet her pupils had doubled in size at his indiscretion.

“I can feel your gaze on me, Doctor Shelley. Every time I walk in a room, your eyes peruse my figure like I’m an appetising treat,” Fyodor spoke, feet planted on the floor as he projected his body forwards, elbows on spread knees and the fingers of his hands intertwined. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think you are interested in me in a way that’s not entirely professional or proper.”

Mary reached for her lowball glass and quickly brought it to her lips, downing the rest of her gin in a way that also wasn’t professional or proper. Fyodor watched her throat move, amused and admitedly a bit impressed at the pace at which she was draining her gin, wondering if maybe he should have proposed a drinking game instead. Who would fare better, her with her gin infusions or him with his chilled vodka?

“... and if I lose?”

Fyodor blinked, lazily trailing his eyes up her chin, passing by her pouting lips, blushing cheeks and up to dark eyes that stared at him so attentively. Lips curled at the corners, he raised a single eyebrow, urging Mary to continue.

“If I lose the game, what would you demand as compensation?” She clarified, and Fyodor exhaled at how she pressed her thighs together beneath her knee-length, black skirt.

“I’m not sure,” Fyodor said. “Why don’t you let me decide later? If I win the game, that is.”

Mary’s eyes turned away from his, moving down to gaze at the empty glass in her hands as some luster in her eyes darkened into distrust. “I think I’ll pass on your offer, Mr Dostoevsky. A kiss for an IOU? Your proposition doesn’t sound fair to me.”

Fyodor retreated, letting his spine fall comfortably against the back of the sofa as an airy laugh left his lips. The woman wasn’t as foolish as he had expected, at least; despite admitting in all but words she was enamoured with him, her shackles remained raised, certain she couldn’t trust him as far as she could throw him.

Must be a woman’s intuition, Fyodor thought, remembering the looks he so often received from the fairer sex throughout his late adolescence and adult life. So many inviting smiles were thrown his way, only to morph into barely veiled jitters when he got close enough to touch. For all his years of manipulating the brightest of the brightest to have his way, Fyodor still hadn’t figured out how to lull women into unravelling themselves for him without promises of money - or some other stimulant - as reward.

“If I win I vow not to abuse my freedom, and will only ask for something of equivalent value to what I offer,” Fyodor proposed, lips relaxing in a smile he hoped Mary deemed trustworthy. “And if you feel I ask too much, you can deny me and I’ll give up my reward altogether. Does that sound fair, Doctor Shelley?”

Mary looked at him through lowered lashes and he could almost hear the gears turning in her head, lust and reason rotating in opposing directions in a struggle to decide.

“Fair enough,” Mary spoke at last, and placed her glass back on the coffee table. Her hand then moved to the chessboard and spun it around so the white pieces were close to her. “But I play white.”

Fyodor almost protested, but the smile Mary threw his way demanded enough endearment that he’d allow her this little bit of despotism just this once. 

He found he rather liked it.

---

To Fyodor’s surprise and satisfaction, Mary proved herself to be a worthy opponent. For the first time in years, Fyodor stood over a chessboard with furrowed eyebrows as he macerated the pad of his thumb between his teeth to the point he could taste iron on his tongue.

“Don’t do that. You’re hurting yourself.” 

Fyodor had just moved his knight when a hand seemed to appear out of nowhere and gently wrapped around his wrist to guide his thumb out of his mouth. Purple eyes narrowed, shooting up from the board to Mary, but his scowl melted into something almost benign at finding the woman hunched over the board, positively pouting. Her hand released his wrist, leaving an imprint of heat on his flesh despite not touching skin, and floated back to her, fingers twitching as they hovered over her pieces, debating their next move.

There was a brief knock on the doors before they opened and in walked Ivan, pulling Fyodor’s attention just in time to see the narrowing of his silver eyes as they fell on the back of Mary’s head. The glare disappeared as soon as it came, so when Mary turned around to greet the newcomer with a polite smile, he responded with an enormous grin and flamboyant mannerisms.

“I’ve come to check upon you, see if everything was alright,” Ivan announced as he stood behind Mary, silver eyes fixed on Fyodor with adoration. “It’s almost midnight.”

Mary’s eyes widened in surprise as she reached for the phone she had forgotten on the cushion by her side. “Oh my, there are twenty calls from Jane. I really should take this thing off silent mode.”

Fyodor’s jaw tightened as Mary’s focus shifted from their match to her phone. “Ivan,” he called with a firm voice that demanded to be the centre of attention again. “Please, let Doctor Shelley’s companions know she is safe and sound with me, and that we’re both occupied at the moment. Also, would you be so kind to have someone bring us something to eat? Something sugary would be best. I will have a drink as well. Vodka, chilled but no ice,” then he lowered his eyes back to the woman in front of him and smiled as he motioned to her empty glass. “Doctor Shelley, would you care for another?”

“Ah, I-”

“A gin for the lady, Ivan. Thank you.”

Ivan’s smile didn’t falter as he bowed his head. “Of course, I’ll have someone bring your drinks. As for sweets, I believe there are a few strawberry shortcakes in the fridge. Would that be to your liking?”

This time, Fyodor remained silent as he stared at Mary, giving her the illusion she had a say in this whole matter, that she could choose her treat in the way she couldn’t choose to refuse a drink. 

Mary’s eyes were glued to his and once again he noticed how her thighs rubbed together at his attention, leaving her phone forgotten by her side. Blushing, she craned her neck to glance at Ivan and nodded. “That would be lovely, thank you.”

“Very well. Someone will bring everything here briefly,” Ivan said, moving his eyes back to Fyodor. “If you need me-”

“We will be fine,” Fyodor dismissed, purple eyes fixed on Mary as he gave her a smile that showed too many teeth. “I believe it’s your turn, Doctor Shelley?”

Mary nodded, turning her gaze to the chessboard. Her hand hovered while her brain readjusted to their match, reviewing the last rounds as it calculated the best moves she could make. It took her only a couple of seconds to review their entire game and make her move.

“Good,” Fyodor said, right hand rising to his lips out of habit, only to stop midway as he felt an intense stare on him. When he looked up, Mary was giving him a look that quickly morphed into a smile when he aborted the movement. He snorted and smiled back. “Worried about my delicate fingers?”

“You’re the one who said you have an anemic constitution,” Mary replied, eyes dropping back to the board. “You shouldn’t hurt yourself; it might take longer than usual to heal.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Fyodor said, letting his eyes move up and narrow slightly at finding Ivan remained still behind Mary, staring at him with a doll-like smile on his face and wide eyes. “Ivan, our drinks?”

“Oh, of course! My apologies,” the man said before bowing theatrically. “I’ll leave you to your match. Good night!”

Fyodor nodded as Mary turned back to Ivan, throwing a polite “Good night, Mr Goncharov”, before once more focusing her attention on their game, waiting for Fyodor to take his turn. He grinned, purple eyes fixed on her as he made his move, enjoying the way Mary’s lips pouted as she concentrated.

He really was having fun playing with her.

---

The game came to its inevitable conclusion hours later, just as the sun was peeking over the horizon and the birds chirped outside the window. After a couple slices of strawberry shortcake and a few refills of vodka and gin, Fyodor let his body fall back on the sofa, smiling from ear to ear as he stared at the pouting woman in front of him.

“Check-mate, Doctor,” Fyodor purred, purple eyes darkening in satisfaction. 

Mary stared at the board for a couple more seconds, as if a solution to her defeat would present itself to her. But when none did, she sighed in acceptance as her forefinger gently laid down her king.

“Don’t beat yourself, Doctor. It was a splendid game; the best I had in years,” Fyodor commented.

“Thank you, Mr Dostoevsky. But your words don’t make defeat taste any less bitter.”

“I guess not,” Fyodor said. “Especially since I have to claim the spoils of my victory from you.”

Fyodor didn’t miss the glance Mary threw his way, clearly torn between enticed curiosity and rational diligence, clearly still wary that he hadn’t made his wants known before their game despite his guarantees. Those intelligent eyes clouded with lust made him lick his lips, and her breath hitched in response.

“I want… a kiss.”

Mary’s eyebrows shoot up. “What?”

“I promised to ask for something reasonable, didn’t I?” Fyodor mused. “What’s more fair than to ask for the very thing I offered?”

“But then… why did we play?” Mary asked, head dropped to the side.

“Well, I don’t feel like moving at the moment,” Fyodor said, letting his knees fall open as his eyes ran over the woman in front of him. “So, since you’re the one owing me a kiss, you come here and give it to me.”

Fyodor had never seen someone’s skin change colour so rapidly before, and he couldn’t help but chuckle at the bright red that bloomed all over the pale skin on Mary’s cheeks and neck. Without thinking, he brought his left thumb to his mouth, nibbling gently on the soft flesh as he regarded the woman with his own sort of unprofessional and improper interest.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” she said, eyeing the contour of his lips around his digit.

“Come and stop me,” he replied.

Mary swallowed his words with the same relish she swallowed her gin as she stood from the sofa, taking a moment to straighten the fabric of her pleated skirt, before walking towards him with soft, elegant steps. She came around the coffee table, sparing a glance at her toppled king before her eyes fell on his widespread knees and ran up his body until they reached his face. And while Fyodor was used to such appreciative looks, he didn’t expect the soft smile she gave him when their gazes crossed; it was usually at this moment that women stepped back from him, frightened by the intensity in his eyes.

Mary sat down by his left, so warm against the side of his body, and reached up with both hands to pull his thumb away from the abuse of his teeth. She brought his hand down to her chest to examine the damage, pouting when she saw the pad of his thumb was red and swollen, with a small laceration that had just barely crusted over and still threatened to bleed.

Fyodor watched her through half-lidded eyes, exhaling deeply when she glanced up at him. From such close-quarters he could make out the limits between the black of her pupils and the brown of her irises; just like he imagined, her pupils were dilated to extremes, wary of and eager for him. The red on her cheeks subsided, leaving a light pink colour in its place that enticed him to run his lips over the skin.

With a small quirk of her lips, Mary glanced back at his hand and shook her head at the damage on his thumb, before bringing it to her mouth to kiss the wound. The touch was soft as a rose’s petal but still knocked the breath out of Fyodor’s lungs. His warm breath gusted over the top of her head, then hitched as a soft, warm hand laid on his cheek.

“That was not what I had in mind when I asked for a kiss,” Fyodor spoke, smiling down at the woman. 

A chuckle escaped Mary and once again she gave him that soft look he was unfamiliar with. Before he could taunt her further, Mary tilted her head and guided his face down, letting her lips ghost over a corner of his mouth before moving to the other, soft and sweet. Hypnotised, Fyodor’s eyelids fluttered shut as he relaxed into these teasing touches that, despite being feather-light in their delicacy, made heat rush in his veins like molten metal, erupting out of his heart to his cock and leaving a trail of feverish desire in his veins that demanded more. More contact, more kisses, more pressure.

Fyodor pushed forwards, folding his body over Mary as his hand reached out to grab the back of her neck, only to freeze mid-air as her cold air took the place of her warm flesh. Somewhere he heard an unholy sound, and only after he opened his dark purple yes to find startled brown staring back at him he noticed he was the source of it. He was growling.

In a fraction of a second, Fyodor wondered about the stage he had set for them. Had he misjudged her interest? Hadn’t he offered her enough drinks? How much did she need his help? How much did he need her and her companions? How far could he push? Was everyone in the house still asleep? If she screamed, would anyone come to help?

Brown eyes narrowed slightly and Fyodor swore he saw a glimpse of himself in them; of something aware, astute, and artful. It was there for a moment so short he wasn’t sure he had projected the connection, so before he could let his brain process it, he was once more being subjugated to that look. That nauseatingly soft look no one had ever given him before, and that he did not know what to do with.

Without words, Mary bent the rules of their game and took his turn from him, cancelled aggression with tenderness as she pushed him back against the sofa gently before swinging her leg over his lap to settle herself on his thighs, pulling a pleased hum from deep inside his chest. 

“May I?” Mary asked, hand playing with the flap of his ushanka hat.

Smiling, Fyodor nodded, and Mary pulled the hat off his head. The motion left his hair messy, drawing a giggle from her lips as she combed the knots away so gently he couldn’t help but shut his eyes and relax against the caresses. 

“Your hair is so soft,” Mary murmured, letting Fyodor smell the gin and strawberries on her breath. He felt her fingers dance on his face, collecting his long fringe to push it back and away from his features. “And you’re so beautiful.”

Fyodor’s eyes opened slightly, just enough so he could stare at the rosy lips hovering so close to his. His hands twitched by his sides, unsure where to go or how to touch. He was used to grabbing, pulling, bruising and scratching; not to soft lips or delicate touches dancing over his skin like her hands ghosted over the chess-pieces only minutes before.

Mary’s lips let out a delicious, trembling breath before moving towards him, avoiding his own mouth altogether to give a kiss on his cheek before moving to whisper into his ear: “You feel so tense. Relax.”

Easier said than done, Fyodor thought, turning his head to bury his nose in Mary’s long, black hair and breath in the scent of her shampoo - something citrusy and common that made him light-headed in a way he only felt when his anaemia got the best of him, causing him to black out and wake up stretched on a hospital bed, with an IV bag of O- blood connected to his arm. 

Still, he couldn’t possibly lose consciousness now, not with Mary’s warm body grounding him so sweetly, not with her breasts pressed against his chest and the heat between her legs trapping him against the sofa’s cushions in the best possible way. Gently, like everything she did, Mary finally laid her mouth over his, allowing a whimper to escape the back of her throat when he pressed against her, not as much as he would have liked, but enough to hold back the most violent aspects of his desires, for now.

At the contact, Fyodor’s passive hands took action, sneaking up Mary’s thighs and hips, before slipping under her blouse to rack his short nails over her naked back as he used his hold over her to press her heat harder against his cock. He half-expected her to pull back again, startled at his boldness, but Mary surprised him by letting out a delighted gasp as she tightened her grip on his hair and arched her back, pushing her breasts even more against his chest.

Fyodor took the opportunity and shoved his tongue inside her mouth, groaning as the taste of her invaded his senses. One of his hands danced over Mary’s skin, causing her to shudder as it tickled by her ribs before moving up to her-

“Oh, Dos! Are you in there? Why is the door locked?”

Nikolai’s happy-go-lucky voice breached the door’s barrier, causing Mary to pull back from their kiss, panting. Fyodor’s nails tensed over her skin before his hands relaxed again, dropping to her waist as he sighed and dropped his forehead against her collarbone.

“I guess your debt is paid, Doctor,” Fyodor spoke against her skin. “There’s work to be done.”

“Of course. I have my mission in a couple of hours as well,” Mary agreed as she pulled away to stand up on shaky legs. “It would be best if I got a couple some sleep before it.”

Fyodor glanced down at himself, at the wet spot on the crotch of his pants, and looked up at her through half-lidded eyes with a devil’s smirk. “Think you need a shower too?”

Mary blushed as she straightened her clothes in a modicum of decency. “I guess.”

Fyodor chuckled, but before he could tease her further, Nikolai’s loud voice invaded the room once more, making his eyes roll upwards in exasperation.

“Quiz time! How long until I force the door open? Two minutes? Two seconds?”

“I will leave you two alone,” Mary said. “Excuse me, Mr Dostoevsky.”

Fyodor nodded dismissively, but the look in his eyes was anything but uninterested. “I will see you later… Mary.”

The woman’s breath hitched at having her first name spoken with such heavy desire before she quickly made her escape, almost slamming against Nikolai when she unlocked the door.

“Good morning, Mr Gogol,” she said with a polite smile.

“Good morning, Mary!” He replied enthusiastically, pulling one of her hands to his lips. “What a treat to see your charming figure so early in the day! Don’t tell me Dos has summoned you at such ungodly hours to talk business?”

“Oh no, we were just having a match,” Mary said, pointing to the chessboard on the coffee table. “He wiped the floor with me.”

Nikolai took a few moments to examine the board and what he saw made him raise an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Really? Looks like a tight match to me,” he said, before turning to Mary. “Next time you should invite me so I can cheer you on! Gods, what I wouldn’t give to watch Dos lose a game…”

Mary chuckled and opened her mouth, but Fyodor beat her to the punch. “You wanted to talk, Nikolai?” He called, smiling tightly at the other Russian. “Come in and close the door behind you.”

“Hmm, grumpy,” Nikolai whispered, sharing a conspiratory smile with Mary as he once again kissed the back of her hand. “Lovely to see you, my dear.”

“You too, Mr Gogol. Have a good one,” Mary said before walking away, throwing one last smile in Fyodor’s direction.

Nikolai waved at Mary’s back as she walked away, closing the door once she turned a corner.

“You know,” Nikolai began in Russian, spinning on his heels to face Fyodor. Both men smiled, but the emotions they showed were something dark, almost cruel. “I believe this is the first time I see a woman in a room alone with you leave without tears in her eyes.”

Feet planted on the floor and knees spread, unashamed of his hard-on or the wet spot on the fabric of his pants, Fyodor hummed a little song as he reached for his hat and adjusted it back on his head. Satisfied, he reached forward and grabbed Mary’s fallen king from the board.

“Honestly, my friend,” he said, bringing the piece to his smiling lips. “I do not know what you’re talking about.”

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Demon Slayer 12 - 13 | OPM 23 - 24 (FINAL) | BSD 36 - 37 (FINAL) | Shield Hero 25 (FINAL) | Fruits Basket 12 - 13 | To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts 1 | Astra 1 | Maou-sama, Retry! 1 | UchiMusume 1 | Dr Stone 1 | Fire Force 1 | Granbelm 1

Summer debuts aplenty!

Demon Slayer 12

I assume the creature on the episode titlecard is a boar…?

I see…! So Kyogai uses the drums like a game controller! Y’know, like A = attack and directional keys to move.

I almost expected Inosuke to appear from behind the screen door, but it was just Tanjiro…

Huh? For some reason, I find Zenitsu funny now…but only the tiniest bit. Not enough to laugh out loud, but enough to give tiny “heh”s.

Well…that episode title didn’t lie, at least…

Ah-hah! I knew it! Knewwwwwwwww it! It’s the double-personality trope I liked 5 years ago (you see it embodied in Martin/Alter-Az). The only thing I didn’t know was how Zenitsu would become badass…well, now we know. He sleep fights…I still think ingesting blood to invoke a second personality is still way cooler though.

Shoichi? Is that the kid’s name?

“Marechi” doesn’t seem to mean anything…

“Show me your wounds.” Then again, there are some wounds that you can’t present to others…not unless you show the side effects.

As much as I was scared by Exposition Crow, I have to be thankful the little feathered buddy is around. I wouldn’t understand “marechi” otherwise. But seriously, where does that crow hide in his spare time…?

Oh…the duty of filial piety…I know your feel, Tanjiro.

Tanjiro’s brain!Zenitsu is so accurate, I LOLled…a tiny bit.

Tanjiro, you gotta remember: be proud of where you’ve gotten today! Don’t be the man you were yesterday! Keep evolving with the times like water itself, because that is what water is about – change! (triumphant music plays in the background to accompany this declaration)

The only problem I have with filial piety is…what happens when your family has only daughters???

OPM S2 Ep 11 (Ep 23)

Garou’s got a point in that villains are meant to be sympathetic in order to get a good story. However, I’d still root for the heroes all the same.

Naruto running…why’s it so popular???

“Mentsuyu” (on Saitama’s blue shirt) means “noodle soup base” = a mixture of dashi (soup stock), soy sauce, mirin and sugar.

It took me a replay to realise that Garou turned red when the tree fell down.

BSD 36

Uh, dude? Who calls their kid “Eruisu-chan”…? It’s Elise, isn’t it?

Katai – yet again, can I just say he is the husbando we need and not the husbando we want? (LOL) There’s even what appears to be a sake bottle in the bottom left corner…  

Is there such thing as a bullet-proof futon???

Come to think of it, this scene with all the rubble about halfway through the episode looks like it comes from the Dead Apple first key visual –the one that came out when the movie was announced. Not the Shin Soukoku one, the other one with Soukoku in a rubble-filled place looking at the horizon.

Looking at Natsume-sensei from the back reveals his hair is calico-coloured too…

I wonder how much of Dazai’s scheming is actually just Natsume-sensei…?

“What did you have for dinner last night?” “Yeah.” – Just imagining this with a monotone instead of Akutagawa’s usual anger is hilarious!

Snakes don’t run…?

Oh, I get why he was calling Akutagawa “bro”! When you’re married, you call your brother in law “brother” as well!

Bungou Stray Dogs 37 (FINAL)

I discovered something – the kanji under ECHO, 回向, are read ekou. What do they mean? The verb form means “to hold a memorial service for [someone]”, so I’d assume it’s “memorial service”.

For some reason, when Atsushi said “you’re not paying for this ride!”, I thought, “It’s your Ubr driver here”…LOL.

I seem to remember that Goncharov controls rock and his power is The Precipice…but I don’t remember reading past ch. 52…

“How can you be so sure?” I thought it was something like “Because that’s what I would do.” Turns out I was right…maybe I have read chapter 53??? Or is this a previous chapter that’s been movd forward???

Hmm…come to think of it, why is Akutagawa’s power to control fabric anyway? (Because he can control other things, it’s just that he chooses to use his coat as a default.) Does the Rashomon story have to do with that…?

Oh, that’s cute. Shin Soukoku are on the same thinking wavelength now. (somewhat sarcastic)

Come to think of it – season 1 anime!Atsushi was about as whiny as Zenitsu…hmm. Now there’s a cross-anime comparison I never thought I’d make.

“…what appears to be a hiker…” (or maybe it was multiple hikers…?)

Did you notice Akutagawa was missing his coat?

“Fancy hat boy” – That’s why the fandom calls Chuuya “Mr Fancy Hat”, LOL.

One thing’s for sure – whether you like BSD or not, you gotta admit they have a great sense of closure.

Shield Hero 25 (FINAL)

See? There is a Meteor move for Naofumi!

Raphtalia’s mostly been saying nothing but “Naofumi-sama” over and over again…it kind of irks me. It’s too bad I’m almost finished with this show.

I’m gussing the reward has to do with Raphtalia’s village.

Is Naofumi leaving???

LOL, before Naofumi faced the Waves, he was wavering…geddit??? (Oh, that joke’s terrible…)

Fruits Basket 12

I think Shigure attended the ceremony to procrastinate on his writing…LOL.

Okay…I started this episode a few days back and now I hav a bowl of piping hot pho to go with it! Let’s get back to business!

Momiji is a scheming little brat, ain’t he?

The “Yuki wearing a girls’ uniform” was funny…because reactions.

Hmm…even though I know what’s going to happen, I only just realised Akito and Yuki only seem to wear traditional Japanese dress when tied down to their curse or their main house. Westrn cloths thereby symbolise progress for them…but you can’t say the same for Shigure, though, so there goes that hypothesis…

I thought for a second they were going to play baseball…that’s what they did in Star Driver.

Fruits Basket 13

Snake attack!!!

Hmm…Ayame clearly used a convo diversionary tactic there (avoiding the topic).

“Aya says he sells men’s dreams.” – LOL.

Demon Slayer 13

I find it interesting Tanjiro also has respect for his opponent, not just empathy.

Aww…this message of recognising your skills and having them be recognised by others is cute. I needd that, really – ever since about a year ago, sometimes I’m so negative I just want to be erased from the face of the earth. That’s why I love Rokuhoudou so much – it was my solace from such thoughts.

Seeing the eyecatch’s strip go vertical for Zenitsu was interesting – I didn’t think it would change orientation midway through the show.

Okay, in this book I read recently – Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin – the protagonist admits to having “an overdeveloped sense of theatricality”…or dramaticism or something like that. I now realised Zenitsu has that too…although now he’s back to bugging me as a result.

Oh! So Inosuke was the 5th survivor! I had a feeling that would be the answer, but now I’ve confirmed it.

WHOA! I’ve never seen Tanjiro go all Papa Bear like this!

…and you can tell with that pre-OP shot that Ufotable ran out of budget for once.

The Legend of the Eight Samurai is also known as…wait for it…Hakkenden! There’s an anime called that, y’know? Update: It’s Satomi Nansou Hakkenden vs Hakkenden (with some subtitle on it).

To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts 1

First anime of summer! Now if only my CR would stop buffering so much…I’d be a happy person.

Oh…great. Fantasy information dump right here…just like Fairy Gone.

Is this weird that I recognise Patria to be…Korea? (At least in history. Its people seem to be generic Europeans.)

Is this a “dudes in war are scarred for life” thing again??? Please, please don’t let this be another Spec-Ops Asuka.

…and now here come the furries. (sarcastic)

Aren’t the white coats really impractical for battle???

If Cain isn’t a vampire or based on a bat…I dunno what I’d do, but I’m pretty sure he is, based on those pretty boy features.

I thought her name was Nancy…? Her name is Nancy Schaal Bancroft, after all.

Ooh! It’s the Abominable Walrus! I’m so scared~! (mocking tone)

This is basically an AI story, but fantasy-based, isn’t it…?

90s fire in the background…LOL.

“I’m going to ask Elaine to be with me.” – Now there’s something I didn’t think Hank would say.

LOL, Cain Madhouse really is mad! (in the Joker-style “insane” sort of way)

Well…uh, it was a bit predictable, but had its perks. I mean, there’s no CGI in it at all for one thing…I guess we wait for more (of this show and the debut of other shows) to see if it stays.

OPM S2 Ep 12 (Ep 24) (FINAL)

Shouldn’t that be “whale on an opponent”…?

What’s up with the montage, though???

*dead Centichoro* - Now that’s what I call “legs for miles”…! (LOL)

Astra 1

I’ve read some of the manga for this, so it’s my most anticipated anime this season! I can only hope it lives up to its own hype.

Double-length 1st episode! Ooh! Just like the manga’s double-length debut.

Okay, who decided on using CGI for Aries? Put it on the ship, not on her!

Oh, foreshadowing! Me likey.

I can’t really tell what Aries is meant to be screaming because she’s screaming over the woman, but it’s definitely not “beef” Aries is yelling.

Is it just me, or is there a frame around this scene at the Spaceport…?

I guess Aries is what they call a space case! (Wahaha!...Okay, I think that’s one stupid joke too many, now.)

Boob shot??? Why??? Also, according to the manga’s supplemental material found between chapters, Yun-Hua’s suit is newer than Aries’s (IIRC).

I definitely do not remember seeing a picture of Kanata’s sensei in the manga at all. I know Kanata refers to his sensei quite a bit, but…hmm…maybe the fact he looks like Charce means something. Update: For some reason, I remembered Charce as “Charles”…?

This scenery, with the ground making platforms in the air, looks like Dr Stone!!!

I just noticed the frame expanded after Kanata entered the sphere.

Did we need the flashback again???

Zetsubou is “despair”, at least from the way I learnt it – from Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei, of course. It can be translated as “hopeless” in context, though.

Second recap from earlier in the episode. Well, at least it’s not Detective Conan or Demon Slayer bad…

Wow, they’re really trying to sell a potential Kanata x Aries ship here. That wasn’t in the manga either.

This is the 3rd time for the same recap…geesh. The things you notice when the episodes are compiled and online for you to watch…they can get kind of annoying.

I think the star = planet thing makes more sense when in Japanese, since “hoshi” can mean both. In English, it makes Aries sound like more of a space case…

Maou-sama, Retry! 1

…and the award for Most Boring Opening in a While goes to…this show!

I almost expected blonde!Rem to be called Rem…I knew that her name wasn’t Rem, but still…

Seriously? The face game of this show should be higher for it to pull off a gag involving funny faces…

The run cycle of this show’s…kinda suckish. Like Dororo’s one scene where he’s Naruto running.

“It’s you who is the root of all evil.”

UchiMusume 1

Aka “If It’s For My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord”.

The language on the title card seems to be a substitute for English. If you just take that thing that looks like brackets as one symbol, that seems to be a Y. How can you tell? Because “little” matches the 3rd last word.

The devil language seems to be based on Japanese, though…at least from what I’m picking up. Update: Oh! So when she says “toilet”, it’s just the syllables backwards! Just like in Hataraku Maou-sama.

I swear, if this guy isn’t voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, I’m going to have to swallow my hydralyte drink properly! (I’ve been struggling to drink it all day today.) Update: Nope, it’s Nobuhiko Okamoto.

I thought I just read something on the devil list that said “Bobble Space” in English…wuh?

Dr Stone 1

This is my 2nd most anticipated debut of the summer 2019 season. Let’s go!

Ooh, I see Crunchyroll even got themselves a fancy new intro card…which makes them more like what Funimation used to be on that front…

I know people have been comparing Senku’s hair to green onions…and now I can’t unsee it. Dang it, you guys! That’s the first real thought I’m having for this anime?!

*raises arms like Christ the Redeemer*…and Boichi and Riichiro Inagaki said, “Let there be light!”…and for some reason, it was green light…

Hmm…I thought in the manga Yuzuriha was shoved to the tree, which made Taiju look more like a hero to her. Turns out she ran to the tree then got petrified, if the anime is anything to go by.

I heard a really accurate “what’s happening?” in the scene which is meant to have English speakers in it…it’s almost creepy, to be honest with you.

Shuei…LOL. It’s clearly a play on Shueisha.

I didn’t think of this when reading the manga, but this anime’s very much a Holmes and Watson scenario…although Watson here is a little bit too dumb for some people’s liking…

I swear TMS used pictures of the real thing when looking at those grapes…

I love seeing Senku being pissed off. He’s so smug all the time, I needed that change of pace.

Maybe one day Senku will make vodka…LOL. I’m kidding.

Fire Force 1

Oh geesh…so Ohkubo grabbed the Aria from Ao no Exorcist to make his nuns work???

Why is there Naruto running???

“I’m a newly-assigned…”

Kyoukai means church. Does it really mean “cathedral” as well???

“Is that the scent of a damp woman?” – Uh, duuuuuuuude? Excuse-moi? That is not how you treat a lady you’ve just met…!

Can I insert a “Twinkletoes” comment from Toph (Avatar) yet…?

Okay, scrap that. Can I do that Overwatch “Molten CORE!” thing instead…?

Granbelm 1

I started watching this because it’s being promoted as “magical girls drive mechs”.

One of the mech ladies reminds me of…what’s her name…from the Re:Zero LNs…I believe her name is Beatrice, but that’s the name of one of the library loli, isn’t it…? *Googles* Okay, her name is Priscilla. AFAIK, “Priscilla” is NOT the name of the orange-haired lady in Granbelm, though… Update: Her name is Anna, actually.

These mechs remind me of Kim from Twinkle Star Sprites.

Wow…ripoff purple iPhone, much…?

Shingetsu = new moon, mangetsu = full moon.

I feel like Mangetsu is a relatable protagonist, but also annoying as a result of being relatable.

“Pennies from heaven” is a phrase you say to declare your good fortune, much like you say “speak of the devil” for bad luck when it comes to a certain person who arrives at the wrong time.

[fairyonfrost]

(FIC) A pretty complicated week // BSD

Title: A pretty complicated week

Rating: None, PG?

Pairing: Fyodor Dostoyevsky x Ivan Goncharov

Warnings: ;D Ohh those Russians

Summary: „Oh, I really like this cake!“, - Ivan baked for his new friends and really likes talking to them. There's just one problem: „I want my tea!“ - Fyodor is not amused.

#

It was a really wonderful day in the life of Ivan Goncharov. This day was even as beautiful, as these days before. Why; could you ask, because he was obviously kind of an hostage of the detective agency. But it didn't bother Ivan at all, he didn't even consider this. Around here, everbody was pretty interested and asked him many, many questions. Ivan was happy. They were interested in his personality and would sure like to get to know him better! Finally he would meet new friends. It wasn't like he wouldn't be satisfied with his other friends, but Ivan wanted to get to know the world!  

Gladly he provided them information to all their questions and only kept those things to himself, where he knew Fyodor wouldn't appreciate it, if he revealed them in front of others. Keeping secrets was one of his talents.

„Back to Dostoyevsky“, this nice and friendly young man turned back to him, „could you not probably tell us a bit more about his current activities?“, while the others seemed displeased. Ivan couldn't imagine why, so he decided to be extra friendly.

„Dostoyevsky-sama is probably at home now and maybe he's playing cello. I don't even know, because I didn't see him for some days. He might try to make his tea on his own and he thinks a lot. Maybe, if he notices that I'm gone, he might search me and pick me up from here. I don't even know, but he's actually a really kind one“, Ivan replied and received many blank stares.

„He won't pick you up“, responded another man with glasses and longer blonde hair slighly irritated. Obviously this conversation was really stressful for that poor guy. Maybe he didn't even like talking to strangers. Ivan couldn't understand that after all. That's why he needed to convince them all that Fyodor was a nice person, and himself too.

„Well, it's not a matter then. I may even stay here for a while. I could bake something for you all“, he suggested to brighten the mood. Some of these stares already lighted up, which suddenly also brought a smile to Ivans face.

Some minutes later, Ivan stood already in the kitchen and pursued his passion. He didn't only bake a cake, he also made tea and served it pretty nicely. He had never baked for so many people before, that's why he was pretty excited at the moment. Sadly, he couldn't buy any additional groceries before. But the workers of the Agency for sure not wanted to wait so long for their cake and that's why they didn't let him go. He could have made something really fancy, but to the given circumstances, he made a simple chocolate cake instead. But it wasn't even simple, because he knew how to bake it that it tasted really delicious. Having finally finished the cake, while you could already smell this sweet scent of cake everywhere, Ivan just knew that he could be friends with the others soon – because you could lead better conversations if you sat down together and ate cake. So he served everyone a piece of cake and sat down next to them.

„I really hope that you like my cake“, he said while smiling and taking also a piece of the cake, „if so, you can always visit me and Fyodor and I could make even better cake then“, he suggested to them, even if he wasn't so sure if Fyodor liked any guests. But maybe he would stop being so distempered and depressed if he had new friends. Ivan decided spontaneously, that his new friends could even be Fyodor's. They seemed at least interested and wanted to know a lot about Fyodor. Nevertheless they were somehow reserved. Maybe they were just very shy, but his words were serious.

„Nobody would visit Fyodor by choice“, he heard this one man say, that he considered at first as friendly and was a bit surprised at this point.

„Well yes, that's true. How did you guess that? Fyodor hasn't many friends. But he is really really kind, he's just not outgoing at all. If you're really interested to become friends with him, I might tell you more about him with pleasure“, he said and was a bit surprised that all those guys stared kinda... uncomprehending at him. What was the matter? Some people just didn't like to go outside and meet other's, so they probably just didn't have many friends. But Ivan didn't say anything, because atleast one of them seemed seriously interested.

A man with black hair and glasses pushed the others gently away and said with a smile:

„Yes, we're interested, so please, do tell us some more.“

Because of his reaction, the other guys didn't seem as negative as before and Ivan was sure that the ice was broken now. So he could surely talk a bit more about Fyodor at this point.

„Ah yes, and when he drinks his tea he puts, most of the time, only one piece of sugar in it. Unless he's in a bad mood. Then at least three. Oh, and I didn't tell you yet that he once composed a song only for me. It had a strange sound after all, but I really loved it anyway. If he's thinking about all these complicated things, he sometimes just falls asleep. I cover him with his fluffy blanket every time, but I don't think he ever noticed it. On bad hair days, he wears his hat. Well, as always actually. Okay, that doesn't make any sense. By all means he wouldn't leave his house without his hat. I'm convinced that he overthinks things way too much, but he needs this, otherwise he wouldn't be himself. At night he stays awake for a very long time and I never went to sleep later than him. But whenever he wakes up, I already made breakfast for him. Hmm...“, suddenly Ivan stopped because he noticed something and kept quiet for a moment. Not a second later, the blonde guy with the glasses dropped an irritated „That's enough“.

„Right. That's enough. You really should get to know Fyodor himself in person", Ivan replied euphoric, but anyway he noticed by now, that Fyodor had many days of breakfast without him. He probably might not appreciate that. He needed to contact him immediately. The members of the agency debated and he ate the rest of the cake, while he thought about how he could submit them this suggestion. Not far away from him he saw a telephone on the table. He took it and dialed clandestinely Fyodors number while the others still were kinda busy. Well, he could also surprise both of them, if they were too shy to make new friends!

#

It was a poisonous and terrible day in the life of Fyodor Dostoyevsky. And this day was even worse than the days before. Then meanwhile the kitchen burned halfway down, the clean laundry was nearly completely used and Fyodor couldn't find the instruction of this stupid washing machine, though he almost turned this whole apartment upside down, only resulting in a huge chaos. His rats also escaped and he didn't know where there holed up. To top it all, every drop of Vodka was gone. Of course this was that miserable Pushkin's fault. Malcontently he ate a canned soup due to the lack of other groceries. But he wouldn't leave the house because he couldn't find his Ushanka hat anymore. Unwillingly he wanted to admit, that these painful circumstances had something to do with the vanishing of a certain Goncharov. He didn't need a guy like that. Sometimes he even regretted, that he pushed him through this experiment to create an always happy human. All things got even worse because of that. And now, Ivan Goncharov was gone. As he probably never would leave him by choice, there was only one logical conclusion: Ivan must have had been kidnapped. Now, many new problems appeared. Fyodor wanted to think of a solution or a plan or he didn't even know because how could he even do this if there was not even decent food and he constantly drowned in this whole chaos!??

„PUSHKIN!“, he screamed loudly into the flat. Usually, Fyodor was always calm and thoughtful but by now, there was a state of emergency.

Not much later an always eating Pushkin looked into the chamber and dared to speak up with a timid „Yes?“, already knowing that he would be blamed for everything even if it was not any of his duties.

„Pushkin, I command you to search the instruction of the washing machine at once and that you order Pizza and buy some Vodka“, Fyodor summoned him and rubbed his temples. He could already sense a huge stress headache. Nevertheless, he couldn't allow himself any weakness in this miserable situation and he didn't allow that Pushkin neither.

„Yes, Dostoyevsky-sama!“, Pushkin replied what made Fyodor kinda satisfied, and disappeared.

Of course he would buy the vodka first and then stay there for a little longer – a fact that Fyodor considered as truth as he noticed he was alone after a while. As a result he was kinda nervous and began to bite his fingers, his bad habit. He stared kinda grumpy into the room and stayed still while he tried to meditate on things. But it didn't work because he barely slept last night – or because he didn't wear his Ushanka, that could also be possible. He wanted to look for it, but he felt truly miserable. Hopefully he wouldn't get sick. That would top all. How should he even survive this? As a poor and lonely man, left alone from the whole world, he sure would suffer endlessly. But then he remembered that Pushkin was supposed to be back at some point. And then, suddenly the phone rang.

The noise made Fyodor cringe. He had totally forgot this sound, then usually nobody ever dared to call him. This was kinda strange. Slowly he reached for the phone like it would be a dangerous animal or something. As he could read the unknown number on it, he went back. He didn't know this number and he didn't plan to answer the call. But maybe it was Pushkin or something even worse. It just didn't stop ringing. Damn, he should have installed a telephone responder. But when it didn't stop it might be something really important – this terrorized him immensely. And so Fyodor did the obviously unavoidable – he took the phone off and said at first... nothing.

#

Ivan looked sneakily at the others, while he noticed that someone took the call, the display had changed. Fast he let the phone disappear quite unnoticable under his long hair before he wispered a quiet „Master“ into it. Apparently, Fyodor was glad to hear his voice – atleast he didn't show any disapproval.

„Ah. Goncharov“, was the only thing Fyodor said. He totally would had crawled trough the phone cable if he could to call the responsible over the coals. But he couldn't. He didn't know from where and why Ivan had called him. It might be a fault to speak to him in general.

„I met some new friends!“, Ivan told him in an excited way and laughed. He just had to tell him. Even if he could notice the strict stares from the members of the Agency on him like stitches.

Fyodor felt a stitching somewhere else. What did here just happen? Did Goncharov trying him to say, that he had gone and would never come back? Was he really serious? Or was it just any trap? Probably someone planned to go against him again. He chewed nervously on his fingetips and murmured a quiet „Oh, is that so?“.

He couldn't avoid a little coldness in his voice. If the call would be recorded, this surely might be stacked against him. He thought about hanging up, but he needed Ivan back here. Immediately.

„Don't you believe it, Master? But it's the truth and they are very nice people“, Ivan said in a sickly sweet voice and drove Fyodor out of his mind. On the one hand, he was really happy, but on the other hand he was royally pissed.

„I don't care. I want my tea“, Fyodor said sulkily, because he really had have enough.

Ivan was meanwhile trying to get away from the members of the agency to avoid giving them the phone back. In spite of all he smiled happily due to the words of his master.

„I suppose he doesn't consider to speak with you at the moment“, he said to the people and lauhed.

„Ivan...“, Fyodor said now with a more dangerous undertone.

Meanwhile, there was chaos around of him and Ivan didn't even know why. He only has had well intentions for both of them. But he was sure, that Fyodor intended that he came back which made him somehow happy. The members of the agency finally held him down and grabbed the phone. But Fyodor hanged up already , because a little panic came over him. Ivan couldn't understand that at all. There was now a big smile on his face. Fyodor would coming to pick him up after all. But maybe things were different, as somebody came to him.

„Would you do your new friends a little favor?“, the young man, who talked at first to him asked him now, friendly.

Ivan crooked his head confused and he suddenly noticed the bandages the guy in front of him was wearing. NOW he knew, why he looked like a pleasant person at first.

„Yes, of course I could do that“, he said and smiled back.

„You can eat cake with us more than once, if you want, and we could bake something for you the next time too, just under one condition: we demand that you don't talk about anything that happenend here. Agreed?“, he put his claim and Ivan looked at him with big eyes while his collegues where also surprised.

„You would...bake something for... me!??“, he asked amazed and was really overwhelmed. Nobody ever made him an offer like this yet. Ivan cried tears of joy, because he couldn't truly believe it. How kind was this even? He needed a moment, until he gained his words back but first he hugged all of those present.

„This is so kind. And I promise. I won't absolutely tell anything“, he promised and twinkled.

„Okay, you can go home then to your Master – he waits for his tea“, said the detective and winked at him.

„Yeah, he sure does“, Ivan said quietly, still a little bit confused and finally stood up.

„See you next time!“, the detective said goodbye friendly, before the other blonde guy came to him while shouting and beated the crap out of him. But Ivan didn't care then he had met new friends and he had to make Fyodor's tea immediately. So went through the door, while he could hear „Hey! He won't say anything he doesn't think like a bad guy!“, in the background as he left the house. Yes, that was true, he wasn't a bad guy and so he was still smiling as he finally came home.

#

There Fyodor already waited for him, while being quite mad. What was the point with those new friends? He also was scared that they now had the possibilities to find where he lived. Hopefully  this didn't ever happen. Probably not. But he still panicked somehow.

„Ivan“, he said angrily, as the latter entered the house, „are you alone?“

„Of course, Master! You didn't want to talk to them though. If you want, I will make you now Your tea!“, Goncharov said fucking friendly as always and Fyodor took a deep breath. He tried to convince himself that everything was as usual again. He leand back into the chair and waited for his tea. Fyodor watched his subordinate in a sceptic way, as he finally came back with a tea service but everything seemed ordinary. Probably it was though.

„Your tea, Dostoyevsky-sama. Prepared with love~“, Ivan said gently and put the tablet near Fyodor on a little table.

„Thanks, Ivan“, Fyodor said briefly, until something came to his mind, that's why he added a „...wait“.

Goncharov stood still and looked him in the eyes, responding with an eagerly sounding „Yeeees?“

„I truly hope, that you didn't tell your „new friends“ anything about me“, he said with a lightly dangerous sounding voice.

„Uhm...well... I didn't tell nothing but in no case anything bad or anything that could you-“, Ivan tried to get out of this but Fyodor lost his patience. Was that even possible? He stood up and and stepped up to Ivan with his hands on his hips to appear taller, though he was actually smaller than Goncharov. With those smile onto his face he almost seemed, like he would laugh at him, so Fyodor  adjusted his hat and tried so stay calm, while he stared kinda cold and expressionless at him.

„Please don't be mad, Master, drink Your tea, before it gets cold“, replied Ivan gladly and gave him demonstratively the cup. Fyodor was so mad at first that he almost slapped the cup out of his hands, but as the other one just smiled at him, he just couldn't stay mad anymore. Which kind of person was that Ivan, Fyodor wondered sometimes. Until he remembered the issue with the operation and he wasn't so sure anymore, if he should have ever made it happen. Then from time to time...it cracked him up.

Absentmindedly he ran his fingers through his hair, before he gave up, took the cup of tea in his hands and took a sip from it. Actually, he just wanted Goncharov to be back and serving him his tea and doing the housework. Still this one question didn't get out of his mind. And Ivan would have probably answered him if he wouldn't have intimidated him. Due to this he tried to solve this situation differently.

„I'm not mad at you“, he murmured lastly and tried to stay calm. After a few sips of tea he already felt better, „but I expect, that you tell me what you've told them, Ivan“, he tried again after all.  

„Uhm, Master... is this really necessary?“, Ivan sad at last and for a short moment Fyodor could feel his madness coming back, but he didn't want to show his feelings this time.

„Yes, it is. Tell me“, he commanded shortly.

„„Well. I'm just not so sure, if you'd actually like to know it“, Ivan said a bit subdued. He already started to clean the room, because he felt awkward. Fyodor watched this confused, but he was still irritated. Sometimes he really had the impression, that Goncharov made fun out of him.

„I WANT to know it. Why would I even ask then?“, he replied impatiently and rubbed his temples.

„Well then... I will tell You“, Ivan said hesistant, while he just put something away. Fyodor made an impatient gesture and wondered at last truly, if Goncharov didn't let out any private information, because he kept acting like that. But what he heard then, let Fyodor speechless. At first he wanted to add the question, with whom Goncharov talked, but due to the words of his subordinate he totally forgot. Ivan reported, that he talked about his eating and drinking habits, from his hat that he always wore and that he once had composed a song for him. This wasn't actually true, but Fyodor let Ivan believe it. He just was surprised, that Ivan could remember. When he talked about, that he believed Fyodor would overthink things to much he frowned and as Ivan mentioned in the end, that he always covered him with a blanked, he suddenly blushed. Somehow confused how he should answer, he looked at him. But in the end he was just relieved, that Ivan didn't reveal any information about their  organisation. But  all theses moments were really private, told from a person who watched him everyday with a smile...

„Th-thank you, Ivan...“, Fyodor stumbled quite overcharged and didn't even know what to do in this moment, as he suddenly felt a wellknown and warm touch on his head, as Ivan suddenly put on his Ushanka hat and replied: „You're welcome, Master“, while smiling.

„You found it!“, Fyodor said and suddenly, all his bad mood was like vanished and a honest smile came to his face. Ivan smiled with him and for a really rare moment they were in united harmony.

„Yes. Everything will be fine, Master“, Ivan said and gently laid his hand onto Fyodors arm. Fyodor pulled is arm back first, but before Ivan could retreat, he grabbed his hand.

„Of course it will. If you eliminate the chaos in the kitchen, clean the dust, catch all the rats, clean up in general, done the laundry, cook dinner for Pushkin and me, then it'll be fine,“, Fyodor said while smirking and finally let Ivan's Hand go.

„YES, Master!“, Goncharov replied with a determination, that pleased him and got started at once. Fyodor sat down into his chair again and watched him while cleaning. He almost distracted him so much while preparing his new plan, due to his frantically work. He never saw him work this fast before. Maybe he did expect something from it? Fyodor crooked his head thoughtful. Truly weird, this Goncharov. But what would he only do without him? A little smile came onto his lips and he sighed content. Luckily, he was back and strange enough this really terrible morning  turned out to be a really beautiful day at last.