#just read ch 200

[wonderingcheese]

I need to see more of Father Jinwoo actually😔

[neominthe]

SPOILERS FOR SCTIR FOR +CH 200

CW: (possibly) Eating disorder ED, depression

Something that keeps me awake at night: at the beggining of the story, Yoohyun's death isn't so painful for the viewers, because we only see what is on the surface of the Han brothers' life. It's through memories and flashbacks that we get to learn 3 facts: Yoojin dedicated his entire life to Yoohyun, they parted ways and in the end they reunited, only for one of them die. That's the introduction of SCTIR for us. Moreover, Yoojin is desesperate to leave the past behind, so he doesn't linger on his traumatic memories for too long, hence why the pain of reading SCTIR isn't instant.

It is gradual.

Yoojin and we learn that the past was never erased. It still happened, and exists in the form of Yoohyun's body out in the cold. Gradually, it becomes more apparent how Yoojin is still so affected by his previous life, despite his fear resistance skill. It starts with small things like him avoiding eating unless someone tells him to do so, always occupying himself with tasks that could be handled by someone else, negative thoughts about himself for every single action he takes and so on. I love, with all my heart, the manhwa, but the novel makes it so much more apparent how Yoojin loathes himself, to the point he keeps wishing he wasn't a human being, rather an item for his brother to use. It's so messed up to want to abandon all your humanity, feelings and concept of self just so you can be of help.

SCTIR is fun to read, but even more so with the unreliable narrator that is Yoojin. He sees what he does as nothing impressive, considering the people he is surrounded with, despite running the kisengsu facility, negotiating with the hair loss company to develop a new product, managing Seok Hayan's research team, mantaining diplomatic ties with Japan, training and helping other hunters and, most importantly, caring for all the S classes. He worries for their well-being because it's only natural for him to do so, as the Perfect Caregiver.

And, in the middle of it all, the only thing Yoojin spares for himself is hate. He doesn't want to live long for himself, but rather for Yoohyun, even though Yoojin already has been through the pain of loss. When Yoojin died in chapter 241, the first thing that he thought was Yoohyun. He didn't even think about how much it hurted dying (with a freaking shot on the head)! He just wanted to reunite and soothe Yoohyun that he was okay.

Speaking of which, in Sigma's arc, as Yoojin was alone, he really stopped caring for his well-being, so Sung Hyunjae took that role and did everything he could to help Yoojin. But, for him to even have to create a quest just so Yoojin could eat is what sparked my lizard brain to write this post.

My point is, there isn't an arc dedicated for recovery (at least until the chapter I have read that is like, ~300) and that is beautiful, because Yoojin is still processing what he went through, and we get to see that. Yoojin has such an interesting character arc as he begins wanting to forget the past, as it is too painful, to start running after it. He can't let go of it, because letting it go means letting his little brother go too. Which is why he says he will never be okay again in chapter 278.

[writeonwhiskey]

the skz house: ch 13

a/n: thank you, as always, to @bahablastplz for editing! thank you sm, readers, for interacting with this fic. i appreciate every single one of you!

Summary: Welcome to Sigma Kappa Zeta, the most popular fraternity on campus. When you, down on your luck and looking for a place to live, see their ad for ‘IN-HOUSE STAY’. You're one of the four girls chosen and find that your duties for the rest of the school year will be cooking, cleaning, and pleasing your assigned house members: Hyunjin & Chan.

[ read chapter twelve here ]

Chapter Thirteen: Of Girl Talk and Berry

 Saturday, November 4th

It’s four days into the challenge and there’s already $200 in the pot, $100 each from Felix and Changbin. Four days, and you haven’t made any attempts at seducing Hyunjin or Chan. The announcement of No Nut November was given on such short notice and has you feeling unprepared right now. Perhaps the boys did that on purpose so none of you would have time to plot their demise.

The first day of the challenge you were with Chan, and he made sure to keep his distance—he practically made you feel invisible. The unreasonably high wall he keeps between you seems to have risen even higher. Adding yet another obstacle in your way to winning this. The two of you don’t playfully flirt or make out for fun…and you’ve never been the one to initiate anything. If you try to, Chan will immediately know what you’re up to. You must play the long game with him, to make him believe you’re not interested in getting him to break.

The past few days with Hyunjin, though, have been easy. Bless his heart, he hasn’t banished you to your own bed yet. He has, however, taken to sleeping on his back rather than spooning you. He said he has to keep his precious parts away from your enemy territory. That’s fine. Better to let him relax in his presumed safety and pounce when he least expects it.

If you had it your way, you would only want Chan to lose, not Hyunjin. But all you would get for that is Chan doing your chores for a couple weeks. You want that vacation—you need both to lose. Winter break is approaching, and you’ve taken to using the thought of spending Christmas in a warm, tropical environment as your inspiration. So, unfortunately Hyunjin is going to have to be a casualty of war.

It’s mid-afternoon and everyone is home. Chan has called you, Allie, Charlotte, and Rhiannon down to the den. It’s on the first floor, on the opposite end of the kitchen—closer to the laundry room and garage. You’re all crowded in the hallway in front of the double doors.

“Now that the remodel is complete,” Chan addresses all of you, “you ladies will have your own area to do homework and study.”

“And to stay away from you guys this month?” Allie immediately remarks, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Suspicious timing for this to be complete, if you ask me.”

“Good thing I didn’t,” Chan smirks. “There are four desks, you can choose which one you want and decorate your area as you see fit. If you need help with anything, just ask.”

He seems so accommodating. It’s always interesting to see how Chan speaks to other people. Interesting in a ‘why can’t he be like that with me?’ kind of way. It reaffirms that there’s so much about him you don’t know, that he won’t let you know. You’ve become better at pushing away these thoughts, but it feels like they’re always lingering close by.

Chan steps aside and Allie reaches for both doorknobs, twists and then pushes to open them. You all file in and you’re the last one to enter. You turn around to see Chan right behind you, making a move as if he’s going to enter the room.

“Is there anything else you need to explain about this room?” You ask, placing a hand on his chest to stop him.

He looks down at your hand on his chest, then back up to meet your eyes. For a brief second you consider removing your hand, but it passes quickly. The rules of your fucked up arrangement with Chan are changing for the month. You will have to get out of your comfort zone with him, you can’t back down any time he makes you nervous.

“No,” he replies with a shrug.

“Then beat it,” you say, jerking your head in the direction of the living room.

He arches an eyebrow at you, and you smile in return before promptly shutting the door in his face.

When you turn back around to take in the room, you see that it’s huge. Bigger than any of the bedrooms you’ve seen in the house. The wall immediately in front of you has two large windows covered with light grey curtains and a futon up against it. The walls to the right and left each have two desks in front of them with white, gaming style chairs. They each have cat ears in different pastel shades attached to it—blue, purple, pink, and yellow. The center of the room is open with a large, circular, fluffy grey rug, a white coffee table and four papasan’s around it. On the wall to the right, above the desks, is a mounted TV. And on the left, near the door, is a bookshelf.

“Yeah…they’re definitely trying to keep us away,” Allie mutters, surveying the room. “I call the blue one.”

“Pink,” Rhiannon chimes in, going to her chosen desk.

“Which do you want?” Charlotte turns around to ask you. She’s the sweetest.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m fine with whatever.” You shrug.

She gives a curt nod and takes the chair with the yellow cat ears.

That leaves you with purple. You sit in the chair, open the drawers at the desk—of course they’re empty—and give the chair a spin. It’s close to the window, too, looking out toward the front yard.

“Damn them,” Rhi mutters, spinning in her chair too. “It’s really fucking cute in here.”

“We have to circle back to the timing of it all,” Allie says, leaving her desk to test out the futon.  

“Highly suspicious,” Rhi agrees.

“I’m already tempted to just spend my free time for the month in here,” Charlotte replies. “They can jerk themselves off all month long.”

You all laugh at her words. It’s the most explicit comment any of you have heard from her. She offers a sheepish smile in return.

“Agreed,” you say. “Not only did they announce the challenge super late, but now they want us to spend more time here than out there working against them?”

“I wasn’t even planning on participating,” Charlotte shrugs.

“And give up the chance to win that trip?” Rhi shakes her head. “I’m gonna make Changbin crumble by week two. And Seungmin shortly after. I’m getting that trip.”

You smile as the conversation turns to a matter of true importance.

“Hold on. Timeout.” Allie says, abruptly sitting up on the futon and making a ‘T’ with her hands. “This is good—we can work together. But first let’s bring our school stuff down here and get snacks. Lots of snacks.”

It’s an easily agreeable suggestion. The four of you clammer out of the room and upstairs to retrieve your belongings. You drop them back off at your new desk then raid the kitchen for snacks and drinks. The snacks amassed on the coffee table in the den seem like a lot, but their removal didn’t even put a dent in what’s available in the pantry.

“So,” Allie says when everyone is back in the room and seated in a papasan. “Let’s dissect these men. Rhi…what’s your plan for Changbin?”

You listen intently as Rhiannon discusses her methods for Changbin and Seungmin. She explains that Changbin’s confidence in his body is a strength and weakness—he’s a sucker for a good compliment. She knows how pumped up he is after coming home from the gym and how susceptible he is to being provoked. A few comments about his lack of gains and he’ll feel like he has something to prove to her. Seungmin, on the other hand, will take a little more work. He’s stubborn and likes to be right, so she’s still figuring out a way to make him think losing the contest is his idea.

Allie then divulges how much Felix loves physical touch. She’s planning to essentially deprive the poor boy of it for a couple weeks, then pounce on him with so much of it at one time that he has to break. Lee Know on the other hand…your jaw drops and Charlotte coughs on the chips in her mouth when Allie explains he’s been asking to fuck her in the ass since she came to the house.

“He’s not as crude as it sounds, I swear,” she holds her hands up in defense. “He’s always gentle and sweet, and sometimes a little silly when he asks so he can play it off like he’s joking. But I know he wants to. He’s an ass man.”

“And you’re gonna let him do it?” You ask.

“Yeah…if I give him an ultimatum, I think he’ll take it. Plus, I’ve done it before,” she shrugs nonchalantly. “It’s not so bad. Don’t knock it until you try it!” She says in response to the look of shock on each of your faces.

Charlotte then goes on to explain how she doesn’t believe Jeongin will make it through this first week. Apparently, they had gone to an all-boy’s boarding school and with this being Jeongin’s sophomore year of college, he’s still trying to catch up on lost time. Han, on the other hand, she thinks he’ll end up losing just from masturbating alone.

“He has a high sex drive but he’s so…hmm, how should I put it,” she taps her chin with her finger. “He doesn’t want to feel like a burden to me? He knows how Jeongin is and tries to give me time to recuperate but in the process, he ends up getting turned on by the most random things and goes off to his room to rub one out.”

“Has he let you watch?” Rhiannon asks.

Charlotte giggles and shakes her head.

“That’s your in, girl. Ask him to let you watch…or better yet—do it with him…have him watch you. He’ll probably lose his mind.”

Charlotte seems embarrassed at the idea of it.

When it’s your turn, you easily open up about how patient Hyunjin had been with you. You explain that because he already waited so long, he could do it again without much struggle.

“Maybe,” Charlotte says. “But you could also use it to your advantage. Since he’s now had a preview, it might be harder to resist and go so long without it again.”

You nod in agreement. You’ll have to coax him into it, for sure. You know he’s capable of pushing away your advances, but you also know he finds pleasure in seeing and making you happy.   

“What about Chan?” Allie asks. “If he won the last three years…that sounds like a challenge within itself.”

You feel a little less inclined to spill the details of your ‘relationship’ with Chan. From the information they’ve shared of their experiences, your interactions with Chan feel out of place in comparison. They’ve done some rather wild things as well, but the way they explained made it sound fun. And not like it was loaded with tension.

“He’ll be tough to crack, let’s say that.” You finally answer. “I don’t know if I should try coming on strong or just act wanton and desperate. But he’s so good at self-control, even in those moments.”

“There’s gotta be something,” Allie says. She grabs her laptop from her backpack and opens it on her lap, typing away on it furiously. “You might just have to get creative with something he wouldn’t expect. Some props or…”

She turns her computer around so you can all see the screen. It’s an amazon search for sexy lingerie.

“Oh, God, no,” you shake your head.

“I think most men would lose their shit seeing the girl they’re fucking dressed up in any of these,” Allie says.

“What is this house doing to us?” You ask, palming your forehead.

You all spend the next hour browsing the internet for things that might be useful in your respective missions. Allie is doubled over with laughter as she places an order for assless chaps. You order a few different items, still unsure that you’ll actually wear them. You’ve never dressed up in lingerie before. How heartbreaking would it be to do it for the first time and have the man you’re wearing it for reject you?

Tuesday, November 7th

You come out of the weekend thankful not only for the new workspace with the girls, but for the camaraderie it is helping to build. The den really is turning out to be a safe haven. Especially these last two days with Chan. Since you aren’t having sex, being in his room with him feels awkward. And that makes you feel like shit.

Even now as you’re climbing into bed, you don’t know what to say to him. But you have to set your plan in motion. He’s lying in his own bed already, too. He’s on his back, head propped up against his pillows and the light from his phone illuminates his face in the darkened room.

“Chan?” You call out to him meekly from your corner.

“Hm?”

“Are you not going to speak to me the entire month?”

“If that’s what it takes,” he replies coolly.

“I know I don’t stand a chance in hell at getting you to break so if it’s some sort of defense mechanism…it’s really not necessary,” you tell him. You’re glad he can’t see you, and you hope your tone sounds convincing. You’ve got to plant this seed perfectly.

He locks his phone, and his face disappears into the dark.

“What do you want to talk about y/n?”

“Are you an only child?” You ask.

“No.”

His short reply is met by silence. He doesn’t offer up any further information freely.

“Older? Younger?” You pry.

“Yes.”

Silence consumes the room again. In the safety of the darkness, your eyes roll so fucking far into the back of your skull. His answer doesn’t even make any sense.

“Maybe I should forget about becoming a vet and go into dentistry,” you say.

“Why would you do that?”

“All this fucking teeth pulling you have me doing to have a conversation.”

A snort sounds from across the room.

It’s followed by quite possibly the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard him make—a light and airy series of ha-ha-ha’s.

You’ve never made him laugh this way before. Didn’t think it possible.

“I’m serious,” you say, not bothering to hide your smile. “What do you think will happen if I know these things about you? That I’ll use them against you? Trust me, Chan, I don’t know anyone who gives a shit about how many siblings you have.”

“Then why do you want to know?”

“To understand who I’m living with.”

“I told you, you don’t need to understand me.”

“I may not need to, but I want to. I think that’s a pretty natural, human thing.”

He’s quiet and lets out a heavy sigh. You resist the urge to harp on him about it, the way he did when you sighed too much.

“I’m the oldest,” he says after another wave of silence. “I have a younger brother and sister.”

“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“It was actually,” he replies, but for once it sounds like he’s joking with you.

“I’m an only child,” you offer up freely. “Thank you for asking.”

You wrack your brain for other questions to ask, to make the piercing silence filling the room go away. And then, to your surprise, Chan speaks up and you don’t have to.

“What made you want to be a vet?”

It’s so fucking stupid, but his question, his interest, sets your heartbeat off at an erratic pace.

“The simple cliché answer is that I’ve always loved animals,” you begin. “My grandmother was notorious for taking in strays and wounded animals of all kinds. She’d nurse them back to health and if they wanted to leave, they would, but if they wanted to stay, she’d keep them. Every time I went to visit her, I’d help with them and…I don’t know, I guess it just stuck with me. It felt really rewarding, seeing them recover. Though, they did not all make it and that was gut wrenching as a kid.”

When you finally stop talking you feel as though you’ve overshared. Maybe he’s not looking for in-depth answers.

“Did you have any pets growing up?” Is his follow-up question.

“No, unfortunately. My mom was allergic to damn near everything.” You tell him. “You?”

“Yeah, we have a dog named Berry.”

“What breed?”

“She’s a Royal King Charles Spaniel.”

“Sounds pretentious. Do you have any pictures?” As soon as you ask the question, you second guess if you should have. What’s going to be pushing him or asking too much right now? But you shake the thought—you have to try to scale this wall of his. Or find a way around it. Or blow it up entirely.

He’s quiet for a moment, then the light from his phone illuminates his face again. He remains quiet as he’s scrolling through his phone. You push back your blankets and slowly make your way to him, not wanting to bump into anything. He looks up at you when you’re at the side of the bed and locks eyes with you for a moment. Should you not have come over?

You let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding when he scooches over the tiniest amount, and you feel like doing a cartwheel. You slide on the bed next to him, resting your head against the pillows next to his. Your body immediately feels on edge, being so close to him, in his bed…and not for sex. His freshly showered scent fills your senses, and you wish you could just cuddle against him. You have the urge to lay your head on his chest and breathe him in, but that would certainly be pushing it too far right now.

There’s a privacy screen on his phone so you can’t see anything until he turns it towards you. A photo of a happy Berry waiting to go on a walk stares back at you. She’s white and brown and looks oh so fluffy, you can imagine how the fur would feel beneath your fingers.

“Awww,” you say with a smile. “How old is she?”

“She’ll be eight in December.”

“She’s adorable,” you say.

“I know,” he says with a soft smile on his face as he looks at the photo, too. You can tell how much he cares for her.

You want to tell him that he’s full of surprises, that you would not have guessed he’d have so much love for a pet. That he is capable of such an emotion. But you’re happy to see it’s possible.

You turn on your side to face him, propping your head up with your hand.

“Chan?” You ask, eyeing him carefully.

“Hm?” He replies again.

“Thank you,” you say softly.

“For what?”

“For talking to me, for opening up a little.”

You’re treading carefully, not knowing if anything you say could make him resort back to his usual ways. You don’t want to make the wrong move. You can’t jeopardize this new territory you’re tiptoeing into with him.

“I should get some sleep,” you say, before he has a chance to reply. You slide out of his bed and return to your own. You don’t want him getting the wrong idea—yet. You want to initiate a closeness, and let him think you will ‘behave’ for the month. Let him think he’s trained you well.

“Y/N?” He calls when you’ve made it back to your bed.

“Yeah?” You pull the blankets up and snuggle into them.

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Chan.”

For the first time, in this room, you fall asleep with a smile on your face.

a/n: sorry for the wait, and sorry it's shorter than normal. blame the twice concert for having me so distracted last week haha. anyways, y/n is moving into a new space with Chan that we've all wanted to see for a while. there will be more to come of this and, of course, Hyunjin getting rizzed up by y/n. more soon!

[ read chapter fourteen here ]

taglist: @iflmho / @stayatinykatsy / @blackhairandbangs / @ayoitschannie / @idunnomanmynamewastaken / @charmer-c / @ihatemen55 / @channniesslefttt / @jiwoos-babygirl / @krayzieestay / @kayleefriedchicken / @sunnyhonie / @cotton-candycloudz / @lubsungie / @conwunder / @puckmaidens / @ashleighland / @hyunjiinnnn / @bmnyy / @ihrtlix / @maqqiekwon / @teti-menchon0604 /@you-make-skz-stay / @zandra-42 / @seungminindabuilding / @slytherinatheart / @loveuwoo / @hyunjinhoexxx / @chartrucewhore / @torothecatt / @fun-fanfics / @yaorzu-blog / @yjeonginlvr / @tenshimara / @a-person-with-void / @ilovetheworldilivein / @dhillomilo / @skzfelixlove / @luvvvash / @blondechannie / @sailor--sun / @stephanieeeyang / @msauthor / @grlcbrd / @minnieprincess85 / @tiny-skidz

[plague-of-insomnia]

What’s In A Title?: Variations on “Master” in Black Butler

旦那様・当主・ご主人様・マイロード・様・坊ちゃん

Throughout the manga, we see various titles used for Vincent, Real Ciel, and Our Ciel, with these being more obvious in the original Japanese than in translation.

This post will focus on Sebastian and Tanaka and the various terms they use at different points within the story.

I personally am not an expert on keigo (the most formalized of speech that Sebastian speaks almost exclusively in in Japanese), so I am not really going to be going into the subtleties there. (Other posts have tackled this already, and probably with more expertise than I could.)

I also want to emphasize I am only now beginning to read the manga from ch 1 in Japanese (I’ve only read bits and pieces until the most recent ~25 chapters or so), so it is possible I am missing some examples or variations mentioned in other parts of the 200+ chapters not brought up here.

However, I think we can still look at these subtle differences even if you are an English speaker who knows zero about formality levels/humble speech in Japanese. And if you’re willing to take this journey with me despite these caveats, keep reading.

旦那様・当主・ご主人様・マイロード・様・坊ちゃん

Before I get into the variations between Sebastian and Tanaka, let’s look at some of the titles used:

The variations are as follows:

Dannasama - 旦那様

Toushu - 当主

Shujin - 主人

Goshujinsama - ご主人様

“my lord” - ご主人様・マイロード

Lord Ciel - シエル様

Bocchan - 坊ちゃん

Tanaka

Tanaka uses #1, #2, #3, #6, and #7. Let’s look at him first.

Dannasama - 旦那様

Means “master of the house,” but is also a term you’d use with a boss or someone of higher status, akin to “sir” in some usages in English.

Tanaka uses this term only for Vincent, so far as I know.

Toushu - 当主

Means “present head of the family.”

Tanaka uses this when speaking about/to Our Ciel when distinguishing him from his father, the previous head. For example, in the murder arc when he points out that it isn’t appropriate for the master of the house to be upset by a servant’s death.

Shujin - 主人

Means “head of the household” or “master” (among other uses). This version does not have the added formality/humbleness of the versions that Sebastian uses (the go- prefix and the -sama suffix).

Tanaka uses this when speaking generally about “the master” or “one’s master,” for example, in the end of the murder arc when he tells Sebastian a Phantomhive butler shouldn’t die before his master.

Lord Ciel - シエル様

Just Ciel + the kanji for “sama,” is how Tanaka refers exclusively to Real Ciel throughout the manga, to the best of my knowledge, when speaking to or of him specifically, individually.

Above, we see how in the example on the right (in the present), Tanaka calls RC “Lord Ciel” directly, and in the example on the left, how he refers to him that way in the past as well when not directly addressing him. (OC is “you” or 貴方 there.)

Bocchan - 坊ちゃん

Means “young master,” and is how Tanaka refers to Our Ciel almost exclusively (except for the examples above), not only before the tragedy but after. He immediately knew that Ciel was OC and not his twin, and we know this because of the address.

Sebastian seems to have picked up the title from Tanaka, because he does not use it before they see him. Above, he even puts special emphasis on the title when he uses it for the first time. And as far as I know, aside from “my lord,” he refers to Ciel as such exclusively thereafter.

旦那様・当主・ご主人様・マイロード・様・坊ちゃん

Sebastian

Sebastian uses #4, #5, and #7.

Goshujinsama - ご主人様

Means “head of the household” or “master” (among other uses). This version does include the formal/humble prefix “go-” and suffix “-sama.”

This is the first term that Sebastian uses for Ciel when he shifts from “you” (貴方, anata) to “master,” when they first begin establishing the contract. He also uses a variation on this I’ll explain next, but THIS version, said exactly like this, he stops using after their visit to Tanaka.

You can see in the above examples that he uses this address both before and after he assumes his butler form.

I expect that this is likely how Sebastian has referred to all his masters as I believe it’s the most humble/formal way of addressing one’s master (aside from more specific titles that may be used).

My Lord - ご主人様 ・マイロード

Even before he adopts “bocchan,” Sebastian sometimes refers to Ciel in English as “my lord,” as Yana informs us via the katakana spelling on the kanji. Yet she still writes it in keigo, as if to reminds us of the manner in which Sebastian speaks, and that even if he has dropped the uber formal “goshujinsama,” he is, in a sense, still using it throughout the story.

Bocchan - 坊ちゃん

As I explained above, this seems to be a manner of address Sebastian picks up from Tanaka. It seems to imply that he does so partly because he recognizes that the old man is aware of Ciel’s real identity (unlike Madam Red, who assumes he’s RC, which is why Ciel looks so dead-eyed while Sebastian is smirking).

Maybe he does it to mock him at first, a reminder that Sebastian knows he’s a liar. Maybe he adopts it because he’s never had a young master before and decides it could be a fun change of pace.

Unless Yana says something or reveals more insight into Sebastian’s POV, however, we may never know exactly why he made this shift and stuck with it.

旦那様・当主・ご主人様・マイロード・様・坊ちゃん

And that’s my rundown of how “master” is used in Japanese by Sebastian and Tanaka, depending on who they’re addressing or referring to and at what point we are in the story. As you can see, most of it is lost in translation.

If you enjoyed this post, you may like to check out some of my other kuro translation posts, including my pronoun series, in which I explain why various characters use certain personal pronouns.

Reblogs and tips are also always appreciated!

[ccoffii]

Things that I think Might Give Nuance to Eleceed aka I complain

how the fuck has Jiwoo not shown more attachment issues with other characters, like I know he does has at one point with Kayden but it's so infrequent that you forget this kid has basically been neglected his entire life

Can I get a chapter on just his eating habits? Like we don't know much about him other than that he's an overpowered bean. Like can he cook or does he even do it? Does he just live off of takeout and shin ramyun for the majority of his life?? I WANT ANSWERS!!

+ to point 2, failed chance of environmental storytelling but hey if u gotta pump out a new chapter every week that's at least 40 panels I would skip it too.

LET THE BESTIE FUCKING HANGOUT OMFG! never in my life have I seen a friend group as underdeveloped as Subin, Wooin, Jisuk, and Jiwoo... Before u come for my ass I know I'm right because do u remember ANY chapters where their dynamics were explored... and I mean just them I'm srs

Shakes u aggressively The fucking entirety of the payoff of the Jiwoo gets kidnapped and core fucking obliterated arc? Like how the hell is he fine and dandy after that shit? NO, I DO NOT CARE HOW GOOD OF A HEALER KARTEIN IS I WANT TO SEE SOME ANGST!!!

slams papers THEY INTRODUCE CHARACTERS AND SUDDENLY THEY'RE FUCKING DEAD. The fact that some arguably pivotal characters to the plot and world-building cough Sucheon, Arthur, Iseul, etc, etc. cough have not appeared in over like 150 ch tells me WAY too much about the current development and I DO NOT LIKE IT!! Let's explore Sucheon and HIS REACTION TO THE KIDNAPPING THING? Iseul can talk to animals, cool but kayden is a human who basically transfigured into a cat... maybe there is more to those awakened animals... OR FUCKING ARTHUR?? MY GUY HAS NO HARM AND WITNESSED FRAME KILL HIS CLASSMATES AND WAS BETRAYED HOW TF DID THAT FLY UNDER THE BUS

u know what pisses me off is that they aren't actively developing Amyeong (dark) and Jiwoo's relationship and Amyeong's ties to Jiwoo's mother. Also, PERSONALY, I think Jiwoo and his mother should be more awkward around each other considering her job and I've seen videos that the lack of time spent with a parent can rlly just make them a stranger to a child. Plus Kayden knows more about Jiwoo than his mother anyways let me SEE it.

In the end, I just complain out of a slight love for the series, these are things I just personally want to see out of the webcomic that's all. Also, I might have more, I kinda stopped reading it in order after ch 200 something.

[eruhatesu]

i haven't seen a lot of talk about this, but a few weeks ago i read a post (that was sadly deleted)about how there's a japanese singer with an album called utahime and one of her songs is called the same way as uta's ct and is basicallly about forbidden love

Hi bb!

I saw some threads on it on twitter and this was one!!! (Again thank u to Dnawawala from twitter for sending me this tweet so I can share to you hehe)

Utahime's cursed technique is an amplifying CT to a willing sorcerer within a range that boosted Gojo's Hollow Purple to 200% during the beginning with his fight with Sukuna in Ch. 223. Her technique like we always headcanon here takes a while to warm up and is more of a support to offense so naturally, it really was reserved for circumstances like their (still on going) battle. To activate her technique, she must dance and offer energy to boost as she did for Gojo.

The name of her CT " Solo Forbidden Zone" (Soro soro Kinku -  ソロソロ  キンク ) is believed to be based by a love song "Kinku" by Nakamori Akina which contains lyrics such as:

My fluttering heart blindfolds my sense of reason If this goes on any longer, I’ll lose all confidence

Your enigmatic smile bewilders me I turn around and see the way home at twilight

“I’d love an ordinary love…” My heart says one thing and does another You in all your danger are the only thing I can love anymore My heart, stopped with your lips, whispers You plan on making me tell you goodbye… But that’s advice I just can’t take

Want to go back, can’t go back. I feel one way and do another This confusion is love, isn’t it? Soon I’ll be in the forbidden zone If this is just a game to you, that’s still better than nothing to me I should love someone else But that’s advice I just can’t take

If this isnt shouting GojoHime.......... I dont know what is heheheheh

[coquelicoq]

i know we're all losing it at this sudden insight we've gained in the [tarik voice] uhhh why is there a drone in my face scene, so i wanted to pull out some moments from previous books in which murderbot uses drones to look at people and see how differently they read if we now assume said drones are hovering inches away from their faces. reviewing my notes to look for examples is how i found out that mb doesn't pilot drones to look at people's faces until FT/NE, with one exception, and it's a doozy:

When it [the drone] reached Wilken, I had it stop and hover in front of her face for twenty-six seconds. Okay, so I was a little angry. (RP, ch. 5)

so like, it knows putting a drone in somebody's face is gonna freak them out, and it uses that to fuck with a human that pissed it off. lol.

that's really the only moment in the first four books where mb could conceivably be droning right up in someone's business, and it's made explicit. so i don't think we missed anything there. FT and NE are another story. here are some of my favorite moments:

FT

Indah faced me and asked, "You have experience at this?" Watching her via the drones, I kept my gaze on the Starchy Foods!!! sign, which had little dancing figures around it which I guess were supposed to be starchy foods. (ch. 1)

there's something about having a drone in your face while you're trying to talk to a person who is staring very seriously at a whimsical sign that contains three exclamation points...

Indah stared at Tural. So did I, with my drones. (ch. 2)

MULTIPLE drones in face incident! plus your boss giving you the eyeball?? tural is doing their best u guys please have mercy!

He [one of Mensah's assistants] was used to me and used to confidential council stuff, so he didn’t even glance up at my drones, just nodded to us and slipped out as we stepped in. (ch. 6)

whose job is it to tell newly hired assistants "ignore it" when there's a drone in their face? it's probably part of the standard onboarding procedure at this point tbh.

Then me, Aylen, and Indah were standing in the office looking at each other. Or they were looking at me and my drones were looking at them. (ch. 6)

mexican standoff if instead of guns you had eye contact and also one of the people involved doesn't like making eye contact. or something.

NE

The drone I had watching [Mensah's] face increased magnification, its low-light filter rendering her features in black and white. (ch. 2)

POV you're having a tense conversation about trauma therapy in the dark with a little flying camera buzzing around your head. just little secunit teammate things! (i actually think mensah finds this very comforting though. she smiles at the drone four pages later <3)

I wanted to use my drones to look at [Amena], but while that was calming for me, it wouldn’t be for her. (ch. 3)

hmm would it not be calming for amena to have something hovering in her face right when she's about to be abducted by raiders? ya think??

I had a drone view of Amena watching the hand scanner, her brow furrowed in half-wince, half-concentration. (ch. 6)

it doesn't have to be like this [mb 🤝 performing surgery] when it can also be like this [putting a drone in amena's face 🤝 mb 🤝 performing surgery]. mb has two hands (metaphorically)

My drone watched [Amena] eyeing me. (ch. 20)

every time mb says it sees through a drone that someone is watching it gets 200% funnier if this means that the person is deliberately ignoring the drone invading their personal bubble in order to look at the person that is outside of their personal bubble. like that's commitment.

[Mensah] came and sat down next to me in the lounge and I adjusted a drone to be able to get a view of her face. (ch. 20)

read: "a drone zoomed down from where it was circling above my head and stopped an inch in front of mensah's nose." i mean, you don't have to read it that way, it's never made explicit and i'm not the boss of you. but isn't it fun to imagine?

[luminavt]

Level 5 Presentation for Fantasy Life: i : NEW LIFE REVEALED!

So Fantasy Life : i just had its segment in the Level 5 ch presentation.

As someone who loved the original game and put nearly 200 hours into it? Trust me, I WILL be streaming this game on release. This was a huge comfort game for me back then, and it likely will be again!

Here's a quick overview of what was shown off by the wonderful and enthusiastic developers!

Small peek at character creation

Terraforming for the main island of the game and town.

"Artifact" system to bring former characters of the original games to your new island. Characters trapped in the form of various objects, once freed, can join your party and provide services to your island town.

Furniture and Housing showcase

Cooking minigame display, showing off how foods crafted can be ranked from 1-5 stars based on performance. They're pretty similar to the original game

Fishing mechanics showcase.

Miniboss combat showcase

Reveals of the two new lives. One, the Farmer was already revealed.

However in THIS Livestream they revealed one new life! Click the read more to see the new life, as I don't wanna spoil it for anyone looking to be surprised.

The new Life revealed is...

ARTIST!!! As an artist myself I'm PLEASANTLY HAPPY for this reveal and can't wait to see what it'll contribute to the game.

Overall. I'm happy and excited to see this sequel come to life. I wanted to see more of the game's exploration, as the original Fantasy Life 3ds had an amazingly huge world to explore.

So far I have yet to see even a display of the world map. So i have no clue to go off of for now.

I hope that this sequel provides just as big of a world, if not BIGGER to explore.

Sadly There was no release date revealed. which is VERY dissappointing. but I won't rush something I've waited THIS long for. I can wait a little longer.

Once this game releases, I'll likely be streaming it a lot, and hopefully it catches hold for me. If it does, It'll definitely be a regular thing for me.

Fingers crossed for a successful launch!

[lee-hakhyun]

Is the side story a spinoff because it sounds longer than I expected?

it is a continuation of orv, however it doesn't focus on kimcom as there's a new cast of characters going through the scenarios in a different worldline (orv readers transmigrate into twsa post-orv, basically). singshong has 200-300 chapters planned so it will be quite long

the prologue is free to read, translated by vapolunes here:

the author's note really captures what the side story is: this is still kim dokja's story, but it's not for just that one kim dokja.

[marvelavengerspovs1]

Winter Wolf Ch. 3

Winter Wolf Masterlist

Warnings: mentions of Y/N, mentions of violence

Length: 1022

A/N: Hey y’all! I have finals these next 2 weeks and haven’t had time to write or even read much on here. I’m just posting this chapter because it’s been written for months. As of right now, I am no longer adding people to the taglist. I know that it may be frustrating but right now I do not have the time to add people to the list, eventually I will open it back up so you all know when I add a chapter! Thank you for understanding! Also, I just hit 200 followers so thank you so much!!

I do not give consent for my work to be translated, copied, or sold!

It's the next day and everyone except you, Tony, and Bucky were forced to go on an emergency mission. They didn't need you, Bucky, or Tony because it was relatively minor. Just a bombing downtown, nothing you guys haven't done before.

They should be coming back in about an hour.

You go downstairs to the living room and find Bucky sitting there. He looks up at you and smiles.

"Hey Y/N."

"Hey Buckaroo," You sit next to him and smile. "I feel like sparring and Nat's not here. Are you down?"

Are you sure you want to spar with me?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Is that a challenge Mr. Barnes," You ask in the worst posh accent you can muster.

"Of course it is Doll." He copies your accent with a laugh.

"Alright, meet me in the gym in 10." You get up and go to your room to change.

You immediately go to your closet. You grab a pair of leggings and a sports bra. You find a zip-up hoodie and put it on. You finally find your shoes and put them on.

You head down to the gym and see that Bucky isn't there yet. You stretch a bit before going on the treadmill. You put it up to the highest setting you can go before you start running. You hear the door open after a couple of minutes of running. You turn and see Bucky entering.

"Are you ready?" He asks while leaning against the door.

"Yeah, let me grab some water." You tell him.

He nods as you turn back to the treadmill to turn it off. You get off and go to the small fridge by Bucky. As soon as you open it, you feel yourself being lifted into the air.

Bucky was lifting you above his shoulder, starting his attack.

You sigh and wrap your legs around his neck. "I was going to get water!"

He grunts as you put all your weight on him, pushing him into a wall. "The enemy isn't going to let you take a time out and get some water."

You laugh and hit him with your elbow repeatedly on the head. "That should be a thing you know. Kind of like halftime at a sporting event or something."

Bucky grabs your back and you decide to use a move Natasha taught you. You tighten your legs around Bucky's neck before throwing yourself back, flipping Bucky under you. You pin his vibranium arm under both of you and tighten your hold on his neck again.

Bucky reaches up with his normal arm and grabs the back of your neck. He throws you across the room and you crash into some punching bags.

This is what you loved. Bucky never held back like the rest of the Avengers did when you sparred. He knew that you could take whatever punches he threw your way.

You get up and see him charging at you. You use your left leg to kick him. He goes to block your kick but you change legs quickly and kick the left side of his face. Bucky's face turns and you take the opportunity to sweep your legs under his.

He falls back and hits his head on the mat. You finally take a couple of breaths, knowing that the both of you were done after the intense sparring you guys had done.

You go to offer him your hand, knowing you won this match. He accepts your hand.

As soon as you pull to help him up, he pulls you down. He pins you down under him, holding both of your wrists above your head with his metal arm.

"I think I won," Bucky smirks at you.

"Really Barnes?" You ask.

"Yes, Doll," Bucky says confidently.

You lift your head to whisper into his ear. "Think again James."

You hook your right leg around his waist and flip over. You're now straddling Bucky's waist with a smirk and pinning his wrists by his head.

"You do know that I can easily overpower you, right Doll?" He asks.

"Of course I do, but you won't do that."

"Is that right?" He laughs.

You nod your head. "Mhm."

"I think you are mistaken." He flips the both of you over again. "I gave you an advantage and you still lost!"

You're able to get one of your arms free and punch his chest with a smile. "Shut up, Barnes."

You both look at each other with stupid grins on your faces. Bucky uses his normal hand to tuck a stray piece of hair behind your ear.

"Hey, Doll?"

"Yeah, Bucky?"

"You're beautiful," Bucky looks down at your lips.

You caress the left side of his face and your smile grows wider.

"You know, my secret boyfriend isn't going to like this."

"I think he'll be ok with it." Bucky leans down your lips barely touching.

You maintain eye contact with him. "And why is that?"

"Because he told me." You move your hand to the back of his head and push him down.

Your lips finally crash together, making the wait worth it. You put your leg around his waist and put your hand in his hair.

Bucky recently cut his hair, leaving it close to his head. It was just a little bit shorter than his hair in the 40s. He said he wanted to get rid of anything that reminded him of the Winter Soldier.

You pull back from the kiss but you both stay in the same position. "You stink Barnes."

He laughs. "Like you smell like daisies."

"I do!" You move your hand to pull up your shirt and smell it. You scrunch your nose. "Ok, maybe I smell like dead daisies."

Bucky lets out a small laugh before nodding his head. He leans back down and captures your lips with his.

The both of you were so distracted, you didn't hear the gym doors open.

"What the hell is this?" You and Bucky pull away and look at the door.

Tony is standing there with his arms crossed and his face scrunched up.

Tagged Readers: @ordelixx @bellabarnes1378 @sukaibg @angel-xx-1 @spookydestinydonut @harperkenobi @mcira @yeehawbrothers @waywardhunter95 @blackbirdwitch22

[naptimeclown]

I need some help again

I hate doing this but I am desperate again.

I'm in the process of trying to leave my current living situation. I've been trying to move in with my partner for some months now, saving up when I can but I only work part time due to chronic pain, fatigue and mental health and get very little hours because we are overstaffed.

I'm currently trying to use one of those pod container services to move my belongings because I cannot drive and cannot trust anyone here to help me with the move except for a friend who very kindly offered but their vehicle isnt able tow a trailer.

I currently have about 1300 saved for this. I was given an estimate of $1,682.85 for the container plus delivery. And the cheapest flights I could find one way were around $200. So I need at least 582.85 just to get out of here and that's not including moving supplies like boxes, tape etc. Im rounding it to 600 just for simplicity.

After finding out about me wanting to move my family has become more hostile. Making racist comments towards my partner. Insisting that I pay bills that they have never mentioned or asked me to chip in with before. Saying that I owe them for things that I bought myself with my own money. Trying to guilt me and otherwise emotionally manipulate me for wanting to leave. Which is starting to drive me back towards unhealthy habits and suicidal thoughts.

My partner cannot help me financially with this because he is currently trying to find a vehicle and I would rather he have a way to get to work. He was able to help by finding me a job that would be happy to take me once I get there.

If you've gotten this far thank you very much for taking the time to read this post.

If you would like to help below is my p*yp*l pool as well as an amazon wishlist of shipping things that would greatly help make this easier. I'll also include my C*sh*pp and Ch!me in case you'd like to give something directly. Thank you again very much. If you aren't able to give please share this post.

Paypl

Wishlist

c*sh*pp: $cjwh1te

chime: $CJW15

175/600

[use-your-telescope]

When Everything's Made to be Broken - Chapter 2: And You Have Every Right to be Scared

Summary: Theo ends up on SHIELD's Radar. Loki ponders his place among the Midgardians.

Author's Notes: First chapter with Theo POV! This is a much lighter chapter than the last one. Hoping to post Ch. 3 on 10/22, but it depends on how helping my parents move next weekend goes (I have it written, but having the time to post is another thing. If you enjoy, please reblog!

Content Warnings: None!

Word Count: 3,843

Read on AO3 | When Everything's Made to be Broken Masterlist

Song: Some Nights (Intro) - fun.

There are some nights I hold on to every note I ever wrote Some nights, I say "fuck it all" and stare at the calendar Waiting for catastrophes, imagining they'd scare me Into changing whatever it is I am changing into... And you have every right to be scared

It was really easy for Theo to pretend there wasn’t a sudden infestation of shadow creatures attacking Earth until she was locked in a dirty subway car beneath New York City with a horde of them.

Sure, she saw the recent news reports about their appearance in New York, not to mention the videos of different organizations struggling to fight them. Hell, at work she had treated some of the people who came into the Emergency Room after getting into a tussle with the little terrors. However, she was perfectly content to ignore the reports, the calls from Nick Fury, the stalking by Maria Hill, and the pestering by her Mémère to put her abilities to use by helping eradicate the beasts. 

Nick Fury may have done her family a favor a while back, but they already repaid it tenfold. It was no secret that he always kept tabs on Theo, but she assumed it had less to do with him calling on a favor and more with ensuring someone with abilities like hers was always monitored. 

If anything, the more Fury insisted on cornering Theo “to talk,” the more it seemed like Nick Fury had forgotten that Theo swore off everything affiliated with her powers. Theo was a civilian. She left that life behind, trading it in for stethoscopes and scrubs, and she was not about to go back. There was nothing that the Director of SHIELD could offer her that would change her mind. Besides, the hippocratic oath specified that Theo would do no harm, and if she really wanted to push Fury’s buttons, she could argue that the oath could apply to shadow creatures, even if they were eldritch horrors.

Well, that was what Theo told herself. In reality, she was content to ignore the shadow creature problem until a pack of the little monsters barged through the steel door of a subway car, snarling and slithering and reeking of death. Running crossed her mind, until one of the damn demons launched itself at Fran, the little old woman with the perfectly permed hair and smoker voice who always rode the subway back from her poker night at the same time that Theo was on her way home from work. 

Hippocratic oath be damned, Theo was not about to let Fran die right after she won $200 from Eddie (who from what Fran had told her over the course of many train rides, sounded like an absolute asshole). Fran needed to live so she could celebrate, which meant the beasts needed to go, and Theo was the only one around with the skills to exterminate them. 

A bit of strategic maneuvering among the chaos ensured that no one saw Theo activate her powers. Not even five minutes later, the subway car floor was littered with the dust of what was once the pests; she may have chosen to abstain from fighting, but after all that time combat still came to Theo like it was second nature. When all was said and done she slipped into the crowds, deactivated her powers, and returned to the scene, pretending to be just as shocked as everyone else.

In the days following the confrontation, the video of her singlehandedly obliterating the entire pack had gone viral. Even though Theo’s powers altered her appearance so a casual acquaintance could not identify her, anyone who knew about her little secret would instantly recognize her. Unfortunately, Fury and Maria were among the select few who knew exactly what they were looking at. After the video got out, the pair were somehow even more incessant in their attempts to speak to Theo, to the extent that she had to start relying on back doors and climbing out her fire escape to avoid them.

When the other members of the cover band Theo played in noticed her aversion to taking the main exits, they assumed she had a stalker. It certainly didn’t help that there was now a table of middle aged men in suits at every bar gig, standing out like a sore thumb amidst the younger, more casually dressed regulars. The only reason they didn’t call the police was because she eventually made up the claim that Stark Industries was recruiting her for their hospital that they just opened in Avengers Tower, so she was trying to make it less obvious to the people around her that she was being observed.

As far as lies went, it was terrible  - certainly not one of her best - but somehow they believed it.

It was a bit harder to avoid the SHIELD agents when she was at soccer practice. They sat in their vehicles, parked far enough away that none of the other players noticed. Sure, it made Theo wonder if there were times other creeps sat there watching their practices, but she never brought it up. Her team had just qualified to play in their rec league championship, so they needed to stay focused. 

A week after having to talk her bandmates out of calling the cops, Theo came home from a bar show to find Maria Hill accompanied by a collection of SHIELD agents in her apartment. The stalking was one thing, but entering her private space? Theo was moments away from banishing them to an alternate dimension, even if it meant she’d be in deep shit later on. 

Before Theo could unleash her temper on the uninvited house guests, Maria uttered a phrase so startling that even Theo was rendered speechless. 

“Director Fury wants to speak with you immediately - it’s about your parents and your sister.”

Cause there are some nights I hold you close, pushing you to hold me Or begging you to lock me up, never let me see the world Some nights, I live in horror of people on the radio Tea parties and Twitter, I've never been so bitter…

Two decades prior, had one inquired whether Loki could imagine himself living his life anywhere besides Asgard, Loki would have laughed at the preposterous nature of the statement. 

In his naivety, he believed Asgard to be the golden realm, the very definition of a Utopia - why would one wish to live anywhere else? Certainly, other realms had their charms - Vanaheim’s lush landscapes always provided a peaceful retreat, and visiting Midgard to cause lighthearted chaos was a childhood pastime for both Loki and Thor - but why would one ever wish to live anywhere other than the realm of the Gods themselves? 

As he sliced through another of what could best be described as “shadow beasts,” it occurred to Loki that the Norns had a rather cruel sense of humor. How else would he be in his current position, residing upon and working alongside the Midgardians to protect a realm which he was once sent to conquer? That morning, he was summoned to fend off a multiversal threat unlike anything he’d encountered among his many travels. The day before, he represented New Asgard at an international summit on environmentally sustainable food production practices. He had lived upon Midgard for over half a decade, with no sign of leaving any time soon.

Had someone informed younger Loki of what the fates had in store, he would have collapsed to the ground in a fit of relentless, all-consuming laughter which was so intense that one might think him mad. 

Alas, Asgard was no more. The few Aesir who survived Ragnarok were brought to Midgard, to establish a new civilization on the very land where Odin uttered his final words. No sooner had the Aesir landed on Midgard were they called into battle, facing off with the Mad Titan himself, Thanos, as well as the Black Order. More Aesir perished in a truly intergalactic battle which barely succeeded in preventing the Titan from achieving his goal - eliminating 50% of all living creatures in the universe. 

When the dust settled, the once mighty Aesir were reduced to a mere shadow of their former glory. They struggled to make sense of the tragedy, to attempt to rebuild without any of the tools which allowed the Aesir to thrive in the construction of Asgard. 

The initial reaction to Loki’s presence in the realm he once terrorized was not kind. Had it not been for Thor’s advocacy and Banner’s testament that Loki was acting under duress when he attacked New York, Loki would have been banished from the realm, if not outright executed. Whether he deserved his brother’s arduous defense, Loki was skeptical, but without an alternative for where he would go or what he would do, Loki was forced to accept the support.

Selfishly, he was grateful for his brother’s foolish sentiment, though he would rather hug Sutur than admit it aloud.

Preparing the Midgardians for what to expect when Thanos would inevitably arrive, as well as fighting alongside the Midgardians to defeat Thanos brought a tenuous truce. He no longer endured harassment when venturing beyond New Asgard, but scandalized whispers followed him as if they were the shadow of his legacy - a legacy of destruction, of embodying the monster which parents told their children of at night, of betraying those who he claimed to love. Those nearby would put forth a concerted effort to avoid crossing paths with the trickster, providing him a wide berth wherever he went.  

While the Midgardians were unafraid to hide their distrust, the attitudes which the Aesir held towards Loki were more difficult to ascertain. Perhaps they were conflicted; the time which Loki posed as Odin was among the most peaceful and prosperous that the realm had known, though it was at the cost of banishing the Allfather to a care home on Midgard. Banishing the Allfather led to Odin’s passing, which brought the return of Hela, and eventually caused Ragnarok. Though prophesied, it was not a stretch to argue that Loki’s actions served as the catalyst for the demise of thousands. And while Loki ensured the salvation and evacuation of many Aesir by piloting the Statesman to Asgard, it never should have reached such a state where evacuation was necessary. Sure, he unleashed Sutur and ultimately ended Ragnarok, but that was simply a matter of finishing what he started. 

Then there was Loki’s involvement with the interruption of Thor’s coronation, the invasion of Jotunheim, the banishment of Thor, and the killing of his father, Laufey. All of which led to his involvement with the Mad Titan and the Black Order - a time which Loki had no interest in revisiting, but caused irreparable harm to many people and multiple realms. And though most were unaware, Loki could be traced back to the death of Frigga - had he not informed Kursed where to find Jane, the Allmother would have remained alive. He may have nearly sacrificed himself to protect Jane Foster, but one heroic moment was nowhere near the atonement required for his past actions.

The search for atonement was how Loki found himself fighting alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. 

It had been Thor’s idea. The oaf believed that joining the Avengers would cast Loki in a positive light and improve his reputation, which would be important if he were to remain on Midgard and ruling New Asgard by Thor’s side. Additionally, joining the Avengers would provide the younger prince with a means by which to continue practicing magic, as well as access to knowledge and resources which might satisfy Loki’s more scholarly nature.

The case Thor put forth was not terrible; perhaps a lesser being would have been swayed. However, neither of the reasons he provided were the cause of Loki relenting to the constant pestering about assisting the Heroes.

Loki viewed the agreement to join the Avengers as reparations, or paying his penance. He did not expect the Avengers to welcome a villain into their midst, much less a monster - he certainly was no hero. If anything, he expected them to view him as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. They would be civil towards the Asgardian, and in exchange he would provide whatever assistance they needed while maintaining a safe distance.

That was years ago. In recent days, Thor swore the Midgardians had come to love Loki, though Loki was hardly convinced. Sure, the Midgardians no longer made a point to avoid the younger prince wherever he went; if he was out in public with Thor, from time to time a passerby would approach and ask for a photo with the trickster instead of the God of Thunder. The media relished opportunities to interview the God of Mischief, during which he turned on his charm and played the reporters like a fiddle. It was all a show. Loki knew that it was a facade, an illusion - a part he played in the elaborate scheme of things. Still, there were moments where he allowed himself to dwell on what it might be like to truly belong, to know he was not alone. 

A flash of movement in the corner of his vision caught Loki’s attention. He turned to find Maximoff unleashing a blast of chaos magic on a pack of the eldritch vermin which had overrun the streets as of late. She offered a bright smile and wave; Loki allowed one corner of his lips to quirk upward as he nodded at her. 

Even if his responsibility was little more than to play a part, there was something to be said for the recent challenge which occupied the Avengers’ time. Shadow creatures, for lack of a better term, randomly started appearing in New York, attacking random civilians and destroying anything they touched. 

In the many years since Loki had adopted Midgard as his place of residence, never had he encountered a situation quite like this. All efforts to identify the origin of the beings had been futile. The creatures were not like anything encountered by any of the Avengers, Loki included, and even among the seemingly endless supply of information available to the Avengers, no record of similar creatures appeared anywhere. The magical aura which emanated from the creatures was quite distinct from anything Loki had encountered before.

And yet, the prospect of a challenge that not only required skill in battle, but a certain intellectual pedigree brought a spark that he had not felt in quite some time. Perhaps it was an antidote to the drudgery. 

Or, perhaps it was a chance to prove to himself that he was in fact worthy of the title of “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.” 

He didn’t dare dwell on the thought.

And you, why you wanna stay? Oh my God! Have you listened to me lately? Lately, I've been going crazy... And you, why you wanna stay? Oh my God! Have you listened to me lately? Lately, I've been fucking crazy...

She must have lost her mind.

Flanked by a pair of SHIELD security guards, Theo cursed herself for agreeing to go with Maria. Really, she must have lost her mind - that was the only reasonable explanation that Theo could come up with for her lapse in judgment. After all, everyone in her immediate family was dead, and they had been dead for a long time. If she couldn’t bring back the dead, there was no way that anyone affiliated with SHIELD could. 

What could Nick Fury possibly want to speak with Theo about regarding her parents and her sister that hadn’t been discussed long ago?

When she considered the situation, it was more realistic to assume that there was probably some treaty that Theo broke by using her power. Given she wouldn’t come willingly, they must have realized they needed to lure her out so they could lock her up - even if the Sokovia Accords were no longer enforced, it didn’t mean people were still a bit put off by anyone with… abilities. Again, another reason why she had no interest in using her powers.

Along the cool tile floor, Theo’s black oxford shoes clicked with each step. The sound echoed off the sterile halls, while harsh fluorescent lights illuminated the path forward. Staring ahead, Theo had to stop herself from snickering when she realized Fury’s bald head actually shined under the light, as if he polished it for the occasion. 

What would happen if Theo told them she changed her mind? Would they grab her and drag her into whatever interrogation room they undoubtedly had set up for her? Would they skip the interrogation and toss her into a cell? Or would they let her slip away?

Probably the first option. Maybe the second. The third was laughable. This was SHIELD they were talking about; they probably had some kind of ward on the entire compound to restrict any special abilities.

No, it was too late - she had come too far, and she couldn’t turn back. She may as well play along and see what they wanted. If nothing else came from it, she was curious to see what on earth would be related to her family.

Then again, Curiosity killed the cat… or some shit like that. 

Well, nothing managed to kill her yet, so it was safe to say that curiosity probably wouldn’t be her cause of death.

Arriving at their destination, Maria scanned her badge to unlock the steel door. Fury entered first, not even offering a nod of acknowledgement to Maria. With a tense smile, Maria gestured for Theo to enter next. Theo forced the closest thing she could offer to a smile before following suit.

Based on the hallway they just exited, Theo expected an interrogation room to await her. Instead, she was greeted by black leather chairs with high backs, which surrounded a relatively small table constructed from metal and glass. A projector dropped down from the ceiling, pointed at a screen on the opposite end of the room. There were no windows. Pale gray walls echoed the metal finishes found throughout the rest of the SHIELD facility.

A conference room. 

“Sit.” Fury gestured to a chair, though he didn’t make any effort to sit himself.

Keeping her eyes trained on the director, Theo cautiously lowered herself into the seat.

“I thought you were done fighting.” Fury began, crossing his arms and glaring at Theo. 

“I thought you could control your interplanetary invasions better, but if it’s between having to fight versus watching little old Fran get ripped to shreds, I’m protecting Fran.” Leaning back in her seat, Theo crossed her arms and returned Fury’s glare. “You know that I want nothing to do with this, so why won’t you leave me alone?”

“We understand that you want to be a civilian, but you know more about shadow creatures and the world they come from than anyone else,” Maria answered, taking a seat across from Theo and folding her hands together atop the table. “We wouldn’t be trying to enlist you if we felt we had other options to stop them.”

“So you lied about having something I needed to know about my family so you could get me down here and beg me to help?” An incredulous laugh snuck out of Theo as she shook her head. “That’s low, even for SHIELD–”

“Your parents and your sister are alive.”

With seven words, Nick Fury rendered Theo speechless. 

It wasn’t possible; there was no way they were alive. Theo was there - she saw their blood spilled on the cobblestone streets, empty eyes reflecting back a city engulfed in flames. Their final cries still rang in her ears on the darkest nights.

Searching his face for proof that he was trying to trick her, Theo only found the harsh glare and narrowed eyes that the director cast at everyone around him. 

Fire coursed through Theo’s veins at the audacity of Fury’s claim; that he believed he could fool her was almost enough to make her leave right then and there. 

“Bullshit.” Theo clenched her jaw, her hands balled into fists as they remained in her lap. “You know as well as I do that they were killed in the massacre—”

“Proof.” To make his point, Fury slapped a manila folder down in front of Theo. “They may have been in the massacre, but they weren’t killed.”

Biting back her ire at Fury for the moment, Theo turned her attention to the contents of the folder. Photos, partially redacted communication records, measurements of their magical signatures, all relatively recent - her mother, her father, and her sister. 

An avalanche of thoughts cascaded in Theo’s mind. If this was the case - if they were really alive, how did they survive? Where were they now? Why hadn’t they tried to contact Theo, or Mémère, or the council? 

Theo drew in a deep breath, holding it for a five-count, then released it slowly.

“This doesn’t make sense,” She said, scanning over the documents yet again. “If you know they’re alive, where are they? Why aren’t they here?” 

“Here’s the deal: you help us with the shadow creature invasion, and we’ll help you reunite with your family.” Rather than answer Theo’s question, Fury leaned forward, folding his hands together and resting them on the table. “Work with the Avengers to investigate and eliminate whoever’s at the center of these invasions. If you do, once you’re reunited with your family, we’ll leave you alone.” 

“Wow, that seems rather manipulative, don’t you think?” Theo drawled, her tone unapologetically sharp as she glared at the pair of SHIELD agents across from her. “Withholding my family from me in exchange for my services?”

“We’ll need to work together in order to reach your family anyways,” Maria pointed out with a small shrug.

“You help us, we’ll help you.” Fury pressed.

Some people believed in fate. Some people believed in destiny. Theo didn’t believe in either - while she had been placed in positions where it seemed like she had no choice more times than she could count, she knew that she, ultimately, was the one who decided her path forward. At times, the decisions were obvious, but there were plenty of decisions made that kept Theo up at night. 

This was one decision she was not ready to make.

“Give me two days to think it over,” Theo countered. “I’ll find you when I’ve made up my mind.”

Two days was reasonable - she needed time to do some research of her own, figure out what parts of the situation Fury was holding off on telling her, and weigh the risks of agreeing to the proposal. 

Then again, if they were alive… What did she have to lose?

There are some nights I wait for someone to save us But I never look inward, try not to look upward And some nights I pray a sign is gonna come to me But usually, I'm just trying to get some sleep... Some nights!

Tag list: @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @thedistractedagglomeration @lokisgoodgirl @simplyholl @mochie85 @coldnique @lokixryss @gigglingtiggerv2 @infinitystoner @loopsisloops @mischief2sarawr @crzyplantladyvibes @buttercupcookies-blog @vickie5446 @wolfsmom1 @sarahscribbles @loki-cees-all @the-lady-amphitrite @tripleyeeet - let me know if you want to be added!

[mezzy303]

Ok laddies time for this week's theory time (do I need to make a masterpost of my theories? This is getting a little ridiculous lol)

Spoilers for One Piece chapter 1115 spoilers under the cut

The way I jumped and threwwww my kindle (onto pillows) when Vegapunk confirmed all the Atlantis theories!!!!!!! I made the mistake of reading it right before bed and I was wide awake for like another two hours talking to a friend and just thinking about it 😅

I honestly was ready to scrap my theory from ch 1113 about there being whole continents 800 years ago before a great flood happened, and I'm still reeling on how it all turned out to be true besides the natural phenomenon part (here's my theory from ch 1114). And Oda once again proves how fucking genius he is bc I never expected 200 meters?????? Omg???? That's over 650ft for my fellow US folks. Here's an image going around Twitter from a YouTube video that shows what are own world would look like if sea levels rose 200m

Insanity

These recent chapters have had me really questioning the mechanics of the One Piece world lol. Tbh I think we all just assumed that the world was just Like That and mainly functioned to drive the plot forward. But there are actual reasons behind it?? With this revelation, I started thinking about how the sinking of land could have been intentional on the Allies' part, beyond the destruction of the Great Kingdom and erasing it from history. The way the world is now, with the Red Line going all the way around and the Calm Belts running perpendicular to it, it's incredibly hard to travel between the different Seas. The islands are also fairly isolated from each other, especially on the Grand Line. It makes it hard for information to travel around, and the only way to get world news is through a heavily vetted newspaper. To me, it all seems purposeful to further subjugate the world by physically dividing the people, making them easier to control and rule over.

I also want to reiterate how easy it would've been to erase the Great Kingdom from history and collective memory when the Allies/World Government had the capabilities of mass destruction that could cause sea levels to rise hundreds of meters. Not only does it make the original land inaccessible, the amount of people that died was probably immense. And with the death of a large number of people comes the loss of knowledge. Those that survived likely wouldn't have wanted to pass down information on the Great Kingdom from both the trauma of the event and the fear of retribution by the World Govt (I assume the laws forbidding research on the Void Century was immediate). So potentially after just one generation, knowledge on the Great Kingdom and how the world used to be would've disappeared. Iirc only the Minks and the Kozuki family passed down info on the kingdom's existence, and their lands are largely isolated from the rest of the world. (Speaking of which, they both are in locations where further rising sea levels wouldn't affect them)

Looking into it further, the way the geography of the world also seems like it's trying to prevent (or at least discourage) people from getting into or leaving the Grand Line and also travel between islands. Just trying to get to that sea is dangerous because it requires a person to either sail through Reverse Mountain, where many pirates canonically have died because of the crazy currents and storms and end up crashing into the mountain, or going through the Calm Belt, which is current and wind free and infested with Sea Kings. And once you're in the Grand Line, the waters itself are extremely difficult to navigate. Now what's in the Grand Line that the Allies may have wanted to prevent people from getting to? Laugh Tale.

For a little while now, I've been playing around with the idea on how the magnetic fields on each island may have been created to specifically help a pirate/sailor get to Laugh Tale. We've already seen Kidd using his awakened devil fruit powers to change the polarity of different objects, what if it's possible to change the polarity of an entire island? With those powers, a person could have created the seven paths of the Grand Line. I'm still trying to decide if this was done outside the Allies' control, or if it was an order from the Allies and the person was secretly loyal to the Great Kingdom.

And don't think I missed that little detail Vegapunk said about the Allies using ancient weapons!!!!!!! Literally each chapter has been teasing the reveal of the Elders having Uranus!!!! ｡゜(｀Д´)゜｡ It seems like the Lulusia attack really was just a taste of what their weapon can do. I can't imagine how big an attack (or how many attacks in succession?) it would take to cause 200m sea level change???

[bethanydelleman]

Northanger Abbey Readthrough, Ch 5

Mr. Tilney is still missing! He is not to be found at the theatre, the pump room, or out of doors. However, according to the narrator, this absence is very clever of him:

This sort of mysteriousness, which is always so becoming in a hero, threw a fresh grace in Catherine’s imagination around his person and manners, and increased her anxiety to know more of him.

Also, poor Isbella keeps dropping hints about James, She liked him the better for being a clergyman, “for she must confess herself very partial to the profession”; and something like a sigh escaped her as she said it but Catherine has no idea what she is hinting at! The fact that Isabella wants "delicate raillery" reminds me of Anne Steele from Sense & Sensibility:

Miss Steele wanted only to be teazed about Dr. Davies to be perfectly happy. (Ch 34)

Mrs. Allen is highly gratified to find friends that are shabbier than her in dress! But she and Mrs. Thorpe hardly ever actually talk to each other, in what they called conversation, but in which there was scarcely ever any exchange of opinion, and not often any resemblance of subject, for Mrs. Thorpe talked chiefly of her children, and Mrs. Allen of her gowns. If you want an example of Austen actually writing one of these conversations down, check out the "bragversaion" between Mrs. Elton and Mr. Weston, where he only really talks of Frank and she brings literally every statement back to Maple Grove. (Emma, Ch 18, V2)

Catherine and Isabella rapidly become friends, perhaps a bit too rapidly. Their quick friendship will be contrasted later with the more properly and far slower intimacy between Catherine and Eleanor Tilney. However, I have definitely had vacation friendships like this, where due to the amount of time together and the knowledge that you will soon go home, the friendship moves very fast.

They called each other by their Christian name, were always arm in arm when they walked, pinned up each other’s train for the dance, and were not to be divided in the set; and if a rainy morning deprived them of other enjoyments, they were still resolute in meeting in defiance of wet and dirt, and shut themselves up, to read novels together.

And then we come to the famous rant against the degradation of novels! And you know what? Austen has a good point. Why not have heroines of freaking novels read novels? What a strange brand of doublethink! A heroine must not read novels whilst existing within them. Funny to think that many of the novels that Catherine might have been reading would be considered classic literature now, though many more have faded out of recognition.

Austen also rightly points out that people are far more likely to actually read novels than "edifying" materials such as poetry or history, something which will come up later on the country walk. This makes me think of the scorn towards YA novels and comic books/novels today, which I still see way too much of. Let kids read what they like! A general love of reading will get anyone far in life.

(To be honest, I still kind of prefer fantasy YA because way too much of the adult stuff features rape/non-con/sexual assault and that's far less likely in YA)

But yeah, you just tell me the last time someone came up to you gushing about a History of England, it's not those books that capture our imagination and make us feel, it's novels. There is a reason I'm still reading novels from 200 years ago today and little else, and it's not just because factual information is far out of date!

Only a novel indeed!

[postagescanlation]

Google Drive Link [ENG] // Google Drive Link [JPN]

Title // 「プライベートじゃ会いたくない!」 "I Don't Want to Meet in Private!"

Artist & Circle // BEAGLES/ちのくら

Fandom // ヘタリア (Hetalia)

Pairings & Characters // Russia x England

Genre // Boy's love, comedy

Rating // SFW

Summary // Two situations in which England and Russia worked through their relationship, with England being (as expected) a bitter tsundere about it.

一一一

So, I haven't been keeping up with the World Stars manga or anime, and the cut-out Russia bit in this doujin confused me at first. After doing some reading on the hetascanlations Tumblr, though, the bit comes from ch 385-393 (which starts here). It made me soo happy reading it for the first time! ^^

I finally got around to TLing a piece with my otp--ruseng is by far my favorite! It's too bad that it's just as uncommon a ship in the Japanese fandom as the English-speaking one.

Furthermore, I just recently figured out how to change the dpi settings on my scanner ^^; so this one is at 600 dpi quality, whereas the ones before were at 200 or 300. It looks better, but I hope the files sizes don't end up too large to load quickly.

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ch.180 thoughts

[You're Back! And Your Front - You're Both Here!]

(Contents: Fuuko analysis)

After over a year completely absent from the story, Andy has finally returned!!! Sort of. This one's just a clone, but it's still his consciousness, so we can't go so far as to say he's a fake or anything like that, it just means that he's not back permanently just yet. Sadly, he'll be gone before we know it, probably by the end of next chapter or the following depending on how quickly a "minute" passes

While that is the most exciting part of this week's chapter, though, I have already talked about it in a separate post, and thematically it contributes very little to the chapter as a whole, so it doesn't give me much to chew on right now

But you know who does? Fuuko. Fuuko continues to be one of the best protagonists I've ever read if for no other reason than because she is constantly growing. In fact, this chapter gives us two instances of her immense capacity for growth, one retroactive and one current

First, I want to talk about her surgical skills. Upon seeing Fuuko's proficiency with a scalpel, Rip notes that it took him ten years to get that good, to which Fuuko replies that everyone has their own set of talents - it took her 100 years to get to that level. We know that Fuuko's been kicking around this loop for 200+ years now, but aside from getting in on the ground floor of the fossil fuel economy and flirting with old martial arts masters, we don't really know how Fuuko spent most of her time. This revelation makes it clear that she wasn't just twiddling her thumbs and waiting for everything to fall into place, she was using her time to learn everything she might need to know going forward. She couldn't rely on being lucky enough that someone would know how to perform Leila's surgery aside from Rip, she had to be the one who could do it just in case. It was difficult, obviously, but that didn't matter - she had to do it, and when you have a potentially infinite lifetime, something being a "waste of time" isn't a valid excuse anymore

Compare this to when Fuuko was instructed to write a manga to get close to Anno Un in ch.37 - immediately she tried to get out of it, declaring that there was too big of a gap between reading and writing for her to be able to succeed. It didn't take a ton of convincing to change her mind, obviously, but she still needed to know that Andy was at her back and had the skills necessary to cover for her before she was willing to take even so much as the first step. This time, though, she had nobody. She had to do everything all alone, with no safety nets or guarantees, and she was able to turn those anxieties into the motivation she needed to succeed

It's also interesting that this means that she's taken the same basic path as Andy this time around: when Andy learned he was immortal, he started dabbling in various skills, such as hairdressing and manga authorship. However, whereas Andy was just aimlessly picking up skills to kill the boredom, Fuuko used her time wisely to plan out every eventuality along her 200-year path

I will say it's not exactly fair to say that it took Fuuko ten times as long as Rip to learn how to perform surgery, though - if she took 100 years, she must have started 100+ years ago. How different was medical knowledge and technology between 1800 and 1915? What tools do we have now that they couldn't have had? Society moves as fast as its tech will allow, so obviously someone working with outdated materials is going to learn that much slower, especially if she's trying to learn modern techniques

Not only has Fuuko shown her growth as an individual, though, she's also shown her growth as a leader. In accidentally triggering Unluck on Rip (with the same level of affection as she had for Andy when she first kissed him, I might add!), Fuuko summons a meteor that she knows will destroy the hospital. The last time this sort of accident happened was at the end of the Buroja Conflict in ch.153 when she inadvertently dropped Disc on Nico. At the time, she was paralyzed with guilt and fear, crying from the knowledge that she's not only killed one of her best friends, but possibly everyone who matters to her, and she can't do anything about it. What snapped her out of it was the reassurance from her friends that this was not an inescapable tragedy, but a problem to be solved by everyone working together - all she had to do was give the order

This time, Fuuko still knew that what was coming was terrible and was afraid of the outcome, but instead of wallowing in guilt, she jumped into action, figuring out the best course of action for everyone involved near instantly. Of course, she still didn't have the solution totally figured out, but she was able to create a plan on the fly because she didn't need any reminders that everyone present was strong enough to come together and save the day so long as they have strong enough leadership to unify them

But of course, Tozuka wasn't going to let Fuuko get away with simply minimizing casualities, he was always going to give her a definitive way out that would bolster her courage to the max. With Andy's return, all of Fuuko's anxieties are washed away, and the path to the goal has become clear as day - all she has to do is give the order