#like it here and we'd like to keep living here but they're not the amazing people that they think they are just for letting us pay them a

[running-in-the-dark]

On days like today I really wish I still had a therapist. It would help so much to discuss what happened with a neutral outsider, someone who is a competent, apparently well adjusted person whose judgment I can trust. Like, I know we didn't do anything wrong, I even googled it to see if you have to ask your landlord before drilling holes in walls here (you don't). But it didn't help, I still feel like I did everything wrong and like I'm a horrible person. Knowing that's illogical doesn't help unless someone else that I trust confirms it and discusses the whole thing with me. Because my brain is stupid.

[w2soneshots]

So you know how jj's mum is just the sweetest person on earth so how bout ksi x reader where they're at jj's mums house and his mum just keeps stealing reader from him

love your work <3

The favourite -KSI

words: 0.4k+

warnings: none.

summary: you go for lunch at JJ’s parent’s house and his mum absolutely loves you.

notes: hi babe! I completely agree, I love JJ’s mum🫶🏼. This is quite short since I couldn’t think of anything else to write🤗. Enjoy!!💓

Today me and JJ are going to his parent's house for lunch. It's only going to be with his mum though because his dad's at work. I got ready then once we'd left I asked JJ if we could stop off at our local grocery store. He asked what I needed but I just told him that I'd be back in a minute. A few minutes later I returned to the car with a bright bunch of flowers, for his mum. "Aw that's cute." He said as I put my seatbelt back on.

Once we arrived I knocked on the door. "y/n! Come on in baby!" She cheerfully led me inside. Then pulled me into a warm hug. "How are you?" She asked me, after quickly saying hello to JJ. "Great! I got you these." I smiled as I passed her the flowers. "Oh my! How thoughtful." She generously thanked me.

After taking our shoes and coats off we took a seat in the living room. Yinka asked me how my parents were doing, if I'd cooked any new recipes recently and if JJ had been behaving himself. I giggled at the last question then answered that he had. She left to begin making lunch. Then a few minutes later she popped her head back into the living room to ask if I could quickly help her with something.

As I walked into the kitchen she immediately began whispering "so, has he really been behaving?" She asked in her thick accent. I laughed "yes he has, don't worry." I replied. She seemed satisfied with my answer then asked me to poor some rice into the boiling water. I did as she said and continued to be her little helper.

"Are you alright?" JJ asked as he joined us. I turned. "Yep." Then I continued plaiting up the food. "It's almost ready, come sit." Yinka pointed to the table I had just set. Once everything was ready we all sat down to eat. "This looks amazing!" The plate had chicken, two different types of rice, macaroni cheese and potatoes. And it was well seasoned.

We began eating and I'd never tasted food like it. "We're gonna have to come here more often." I joked, but I was actually being serious. Yinka chuckled "you're always welcome darling, I love when you come and visit." JJ smiled "yea, I'm starting to think you like y/n more than me." "Uh. No I love you both the same amount." She replied, sending me a wink.

[distant-screaming]

your top 5 nlmg moments <3

what the HELL archer............. worst sleepover ever I'm being made to choose? from nlmg????? >:( I had 22 scenes shortlisted, and I with great pain cut it down to 5 + 3 bonus ones. also this took me really long to answer because I can't shut up. anyway. I will try to keep this as short as possible and not go into full explanations because then we'd be here forever 🎀

so, my favorite nlmg scenes, in no particular order:

palm gets shot

is this surprising? at all? no I didn't think so. palmnueng are so insane about each other and this entire scene is such a good demonstration of that - palm, actively bleeding out from a gunshot wound, tells nueng not to sign anything over, and nueng does so anyway. and then palm gets shot and just - the acting is so wonderful from everyone in that scene and it's such a good demonstration of their characters! I also especially ADORE the next bit, where nueng is outside the operation room and he's just so grief stricken it makes my stomach hurt. and I just love this whole section a lot okay!! (fun fact: my first time watching the show, I wasn't able to watch the scene fully - I had to skim it and go ahead to the part where palm was Alive. once I realized he was, I went back to watch it properly djfkfj)

waltz scene(s)

I'm cheating a little but it's fine - all three of palmnueng's waltz scenes live in my head rent FREE. the first one (the dream sequence) is just so very 'I have a crush on this guy' core and it's so soft and sweet and yearn-y <3 I don't remember where I talked about this, but in the dream sequence nueng keeps track of the rhythm by tapping his finger on palm's shoulder - the same thing he did in real life. this means palm was so focused on him during the irl dance that he even noticed that. and that just. it makes me sick okay. second dance sequence is in the motel room after mam dies, and this one is so different from the first because it's much more centered in comfort and relief rather than romance. the whole scene is an absolute masterpiece - the way it's shot with the blurred backgrounds and close ups and the colors - and man I just. I love it so much. it's so intimate. and finally the waltz at the restaurant before nueng gets snatched by kit... literally no one does it like them they're so!! it's a very scary scene to watch because you can tell something's about to go really wrong really fast, but my GOD is it good. me and who literally........the tenderness, the trust, the way they look at each other with absolute stars in their eyes (and the way that the camera focuses on nueng more this time, and how in love he is because we've seen palm but nueng is just as insane). insane. deranged.

first kiss on the island

rooftop hug

while watching this, I had to pause the episode and physically stand up to do laps around the room. it's sooo good and pondphuwin are amazing at intimacy and it's just like, they really do kiss like they're desperate for each other which is exactly what palmnueng are. also the significance of it being after david + wu's wedding is a whole different rant I will spare you from but ajfkskfkdjfkdjfkfjfjfjv!!!! absolutely amazing first kiss, especially contrasted with their first kiss on the rooftop. no notes.

speaking of rooftops! man. the whole ben + coming out part really hurts me every time I watch it and this scene is no exception. nueng is so desperate and heartbroken and he keeps lashing out but palm just holds him close and doesn't say anything and eventually nueng hugs him back and just cries in his arms and he just. he just wanted a friend. he just wanted to be loved. that's all. GOD.

peng(2) you(3)

world's most insane guys flirt, leave me dead. like. this is episode 2. nueng still has some like vague pretend animosity towards palm. and yet. 'oh yeah let me just - here touch my neck and I'll gaze into your eyes and say peng you (friend)' HELLO?? I mean. sure why not. palm's clearly enjoying it (read: having a gay induced mental breakdown). generally I love scenes that have flirting with pining oblivious guys and this is the perfect fit. also, the fact that palm is slightly higher than nueng here the CONNOTATIONS guys the THEMES. the [I am shot and dragged away]

Bonus:

nueng barging into palm's room

sir...... just. all of this. no words. he's such a bratty teenager. I love him

palm opening shot

this one is on here solely because this is the exact moment I feel utterly and deeply in love with pond. hello there gorgeous standing there all by yourself??? why is he so <3

every time palm is annoyed by ben existing

I ADORE this dynamic. they're this 👌 close to killing each other in every frame they're together. the fingers are touching btw. hashtag gay on gay hostility. I love it.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA for unfollowing my friend-groups insta account?

When I was still in school my friend group (me, my gf, my bestie, his gf and 2 other friends) started cosplaying. We used to make CMVs and got a youtube account to share those, later we got an insta and a tumblr acc.

After school everybody besides my gf and me went to the nearest bigger city for university reasons. My gf and me decided to stay close to the town we grew up in. (We found jobs here and she couldn't really go too far away for longer time bc family reasons.)

So the friends live about an hour away now, that's fine, we can still visit on weekends, totally chill.

We also spent time at conventions together even though our cosplays didn't always match up.

A bit into this the friends start making new friends, which is obviously perfectly okay, I want them to be happy and the bigger the friend group the better.

But then our original friends stopped inviting me and gf along if they planned things.

If we were like "hey, next weekend we could come visit" everything was cool, we'd meet up, have a good time and we'd all say we'll have to meet up more often but then the friends never call again.

Instead they started doing little parties with their new friends and posting about it on our group's insta-account.

At conventions they always hang out and cosplay things with their new friends and only talk about their dnd group's adventures (which we also used to play together over discord during lockdown but now they only play with their new friends).

And honestly, yeah I'm kinda jealous but mostly I'm really fucking hurt.

Their new friends are amazing, don't get me wrong. New friends, gf and me get along perfectly fine. (Didn't spend enough time with them to call them our friends yet but they're super fun to hang out with at cons.)

But it hurts to see that some of their new friends have a longer way to get to them (one actually has to drive through our hometown) but they get invited to birthdays/halloween/new year's/... but we don't.

Gf and me also stopped telling our friends if we visit their city because we don't want to put in the only effort to keep the friendship going but we feel like absolute shit about it.

So now I'm thinking about at least unfollowing our group account on insta.

They only ever post pics & stories of their new friends and their fun time hanging out and I don't really wanna see that and feel left out anymore.

Would it be petty/asshole-y of me to unfollow since we're friends and we started the account together?

(Sorry, English isn't my first language and I think this got a bit confusing but I can't word it better...)

(Also hope this is in line with the faq post. Fisrt reject part got me confused a bit. It's totally fine if this falls into that category and gets trashed though.🙏💗)

What are these acronyms?

[is-the-fire-real]

judío por elección (part 2)

(part 1.)

My wife and I started searching for a community after a lot of talking. But, technically, we were already looking.

After E died, S gave us charge over a specific set of books. He had told her that it was vital these books go to a synagogue. He preferred it to be a London synagogue. We had no clue which one.

Shoved in with all the different books he had, and we inherited, was ephemera from different synagogues--pamphlets from the 1980s and 1990s, booklets from the '40s and '50s. We started calling and emailing them about these books, because they were pretty important.

They're chumash with a publication date of 1898.

Problem was, we couldn't get any synagogues to respond. The one who finally did said that they had too many books and could not accept any more. They suggested that E might still be honored if the chumash went to a Spanish synagogue.

The community here, as you can imagine, is struggling. Spain has done a real good job at keeping Jews out since the expulsion of 1492. Most groups operate in half-secret: no website, or a website that hasn't been updated in years; no phone numbers. Half of the people we tried to contact never responded. Most of the rest couldn't support our conversion.

One rabbi from Madrid answered us. She made it clear that we'd have to move if we wanted to attend her group. This was expected and crushing. We're poor, disabled, and pretty well stuck where we are. But then she said that there was a brand-new community in a city closer to us, one we visit with some frequency. She introduced us to their leader.

I have the impression that A would be considered a cantor. He is not a rabbi, but he can lead services. He had a few questions about my wife and I's histories and experiences with Judaism. (Those experiences I'll talk about somewhat, but it's difficult to talk about meaningfully while also maintaining privacy, so it'll have to wait.) He wanted to know if and what we were reading. Then he invited us to Shabbat, which they conduct through videocalls.

This group does not have a rabbi, much less a synagogue. Several of the folks who call in for our Shabbat meeting live in a different city entirely. That person talks about experiences with Mossad. I want to get better at Spanish so that I can learn from her.

There's singing (as someone who's seen Ashkenazi services, the Sephardi tradition sounds amazing), of course, and because there's so few of us, A has my wife and I read sometimes for services. The very first thing I got to read was Psalm 23, which has always been one of my favorite works of art... which A couldn't know when he asked me to read it.

I said I'd stumble at lot. He told me to read it slowly in Spanish, that it's better to read slow and correctly than quickly and clumsily. He seemed pleased with my effort.

I was raised Mormon, and the entire approach to worship was very different, in a way I found appealing. My wife said it wasn't that different for them--they were raised mainstream Protestant, so singing and standing/sitting a lot were normal for them.

When we were asked to raise a glass of alcohol, we asked if it had to be wine. (We're bad Spaniards. Neither of us likes the stuff.) A said that as long as it was fermented, it was fine. One attendant had a gin and tonic.

The last time we celebrated Shabbat, we used gay-pride themed glasses and filled them with beer. "¿Qué tenéis?" we were asked.

"¡Cerveza!", which cracked them all up, and the ex-Mossad member talked about how the Orthodox she used to worship with would drink whiskey.

Setting aside the Shabbat has been, overall, easier than I thought it would be. I check HebCal to make sure when the candles should be lit. I do all my household chores throughout Thursday and Friday-daytime. My wife tries to cook as much as possible before the candles are lit, and we eat, talk, and do our video-call service with the community.

Saturday I set aside. I have to keep reminding myself not to work, to consider things done even if they look like they're not.

But onward.

Our little community is fantastic, particularly A. He found out I'm having problems with some of my IDs. He told us not to worry. He knows a lot of people who work immigration and he can help us go to the right office and navigate the Spanish bureaucracy. ("Byzantine" should be replaced with "Spanish".) He's answered all our questions and invited us to events about the Shoah and personally introduced us to people.

They were so welcoming, so open, so not-rejecting-us-three-times (but if you count all the rabbis who told us no, technically, that's more than three) that it shocked my wife and I. We talked beforehand about how the community might want to withdraw, and not trust new converts, given October 7. We found the opposite. Our local Jews seem to feel that our willingness to look at how the world is behaving right now and still say "Your people will be my people" demonstrates our sincerity in and of itself.

On the other hand, when we first met A in person, my wife made a comment regarding his personal safety. He admitted that there was a man in the room with us who's his armed bodyguard. He and his wife do not leave home on business related to the community without their bodyguard.

My wife felt a cold hand creep up their back when they heard that. I was not nearby--I was checking all the exits of the auditorium and calculating where we'd need to sit if we had to flee. There were "pro-Palestinian" protests going on that day and the odds were there wouldn't be any danger near us, but... but...

Several of A's family members are also converting. We will have to travel halfway across the country to a mikveh. There are many medieval mikvehs in Spain, but to my knowledge, there are only two which are actually in use. My wife says we'll have to do a road trip. I immediately think about how "one Sephardi and four converts go road tripping across a country where one of its favorite dishes was designed as a Fuck You to Jews and Muslims" would be a fucking great novel.

Would be? Will be. And completing this branch of the journey with a journey feels right.

Oh, and my favorite A story: he invited us to spend some time with him and his wife after a community meal. We agreed to attend the meal, but had to leave after. "We have a lot of dogs and cats," my wife said, "we have to return and care for them."

"We'd love to have you," he said, "but it's a mitzvah, taking care of animals. Do that instead."

Afterward, my wife stared at me in wonderment and said: "I don't think I ever heard that once in church."

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

@earnmysong asked me "top 5 ways to have ended 'ted lasso' better than they did" and I decided to put it in its own post since I have Thoughts!

These are all just personal preference, and I don't really trust my instincts where this show is concerned anymore, so. Here are things I would have loved to see, without changing the overall episode majorly!

One last Biscuits with the Boss + addressing onscreen that the ritual is over. :'( It felt so weird to not acknowledge that.

Jade and Barbara briefly meet and have an amazing interaction that gives everyone the distinct suspicion that they might one day have a spinoff where they recreationally solve crimes and mysteries together. I will always on some level be daydreaming of this spinoff. Can you imagine how much they would weird out everybody they were investigating?

I'd like there to be some tip to Rebecca that Ted is the thunder and lightning (maybe he checks the weather forecast in Kansas while they're together saying goodbye at the airport and tells her that's what's coming and she's like ?!?!?!), but she keeps it to herself because she knows he has to go home to his boy. That tragic culmination of the whole psychic prophecy storyline would have sustained me forever in delicious agonies. I'd even let her run into frickin' Boat Guy afterwards if it absolutely must be. :P Just the idea that Ted was the right one and they were in some way fated, but it was the wrong time and the wrong set of circumstances, and sometimes you just have to carry on with that sad knowledge.

I would have had Roy and Keeley officially get back together and have a swoonworthy, deeply romcommy reunion kiss scene! I respect Keeley/Roy/Jamie as a concept, but I didn't enjoy seeing them devolve into love triangle nonsense in the last ever episode. I wanted my Roy/Keeley reunion and so on this list, I'll imagine it passionately & without shame!

No Jamie having a happy chat with his dad in the montage. If I had to pick just one thing, I'd even axe that over Beard and Jane's crazy, Ted-less wedding. Having an abusive parent with addiction issues is extremely complicated and I just didn't like the "And he's sober now so they lived happily ever after! Put a bow on it!" simplicity of that at all when we'd seen absolutely no hint that Jamie should reconcile with him prior. Personally, it felt in poor taste to me. I get that this show is all about forgiveness, but that was too far and too trite for me.

[royallpetrichor]

Okay so I haven't posted in like 12 years and I know I'm like a week late, but what's everyone's thoughts on the live-action ATLA teaser? I'm genuinely very interested to know, because I certainly have thoughts, and I've definitely seen some polarised opinions. What do you like about it, and are you worried about anything?

Anyway, my long personal thoughts are below the keep reading line. I probably haven't said anything super new, or any hot takes but they're there.

First, what I loved about the teaser. It looked visually stunning! The shot composition all looked amazing (to someone who knows nothing about film), the visual tone was definitely there, and the set design was gorgeous! The entire time I was just going "oh my god, oh my god, oh my god" but in a good way. The characters especially look great. In particular, I loved Suki, Aang, and Zuko. I know some people were disappointed with how the characters looked, but I really think it's the best we could have gotten considering the wide disconnect between animation and live-action, and I think it's something people need to remember.

The acting obviously hasn't been shown very much, so it's still up in the air in that regard. I've been trying to convince myself I'm cautiously optimistic, but quite honestly I've gone straight to pure excitement, despite my worries.

We're also getting more flashbacks, as shown by the fact there's a scene of the Air Nomad genocide. More worldbuilding and backstory is definitely something I'm very happy about, so I'm excited to see where it goes. The thing that stumps me on it is whether they're going to do it well. In the film that shall not be named, Shyamalan put references to the original show everywhere, but he never took the time to understand why they worked. It was like he wanted us to say "Wow! They said the thing!!!!!" as if we'd clap at the screen without actually thinking about anything. I'm really, really hoping that's not the case here.

The tone is definitely something that people are concerned about, myself included. The teaser was very serious and dramatic. Of course, the show has those moments but it's overall very lighthearted. It's a show about friendship first and foremost, and those positive messages are highlighted throughout the series. I'm hoping this teaser is more Netflix saying "Look at these cool effects!" and less "This is the overall tone of the entire series!".

The humour also comes to play in this. ATLA has a lot of jokes. You know this, I know this, they work, I don't have to talk about it. I'm curious about the humor in the live-action series because a lot of the humour in ATLA works because the show is animated, and wouldn't work in the live-action setting. In the film that shall not be named, Shyamalan tried to take jokes from the show, but they just fell completely flat because it was the completely wrong genre and just created tonal dissonance.

The last big thing I'm worried about is the characters, particularly Katara and Zuko.

I'm worried about Katara, because film has had this tendency in the past (and I know this is probably outdated) to "tone down" a female character's more "unsavoury/unladylike" traits. This is a bad example but it's the best my brain can come up with, but Hermione in the HP films compared to the books. In the films she was smart, brave, never wrong, and never made fun of. In the books, she was smart, yes, but also naive, and really mean and judgy sometimes.

Katara is a strong female character because she's not perfect. She's hotheaded and can hold a mean grudge, but those make her who she is. Also, in the film that does not exist, other character's strong moments are inexplicably given to Katara to make her more "badass" without actually putting in the work for her.

I'm worried about Zuko for an entirely different reason. I'm scared they'll "tone back" his assholeness in the first season, and possibly even give us his backstory a lot sooner. I really don't want this, because the whole reason his redemption arc works is because he was a villain first. He did bad things, but he atoned for them. His backstory explains his actions but doesn't excuse them. If we're sympathetic to him too early, the payoff is going to feel a lot cheaper, and like he didn't actually work to make himself better because he was already there.

Okay wow that was a lot, but that sums up all of my thoughts/concerns/excitement for the show. I'm really stoked to see where they go with it, and even if it's a disaster I'll probably enjoy it anyway honestly.

[somegirlontheinternet135]

Looking at old posts, I realized that I don't really post ocs anymore, maybe it's because of how many of them flopped, maybe it's how some were made in gacha club, I'll never know why. . . But that all changes today! I have created a whole batch of ocs just waiting to be posted, most of them I plan writing an actual original story for!! Unfortunately if I'd talk about them, we'd be here all day, so for now, we'll keep it simple!

Everyone. . . Meet Dandelion Cookie🌼✨

Everything you need to know about her is already in the images, but I'll happily explain some of the newer headcanons I thought up:

• She has a surprising amount of connections all across Earthbread due to being kinda a social butterfly & also helping cookies and their animal friends

• Her father had the dream of opening an animal sanctuary ever since Dandelion was a baby, and thanks to her, they're getting closer to achieving the goal!

• Remember the little cakehound that kicked off the entire story? Well it has a happy home within her father's clinic, and was promptly named Prince!(If you know you, you know) Alongside, there's always Sweetpea, a friendly cockatiel that loves to sing, a bunch of other inhabitants that live in the clinic

• Speaking of singing, Dandelion has an absolutely enchanting singing voice, and often sings to her little animal friends, as motivation or just to make them happy! And if she's really into it, she'll sing and accidentally start a flash mob(So yeah, her and TK would get along XD)

• She actually did go to Beast Yeast once(yeah, no joke-)

• Dandelion is a daddy's girl a hundred percent! Her mother is still very much in the picture, but the two aren't the closest, although Dandelion does like her enough to stay with her when she returns to the Creme Republic

• Dandelion's own dream is to make a better world for beasts, a world where animals & cookies can get along in peace. But right now she isn't too successful. . .

• If a cookie misses a planned vet date or multiple, Dandelion will go out of her way to scold them

• Dandelion Cookie has a mostly positive reputation in the Upper City of the Creme Republic, due to her cheerful & kind hearted nature, and for what she does. As for the Lower City, views are pretty mixed, some are quite fond of her while others find her annoying

• Dandelion's power of having all animals and beasts adore her isn't something she picked up overnight but rather a blessing that was passed throughout her family for generations. The only catch is that only one cookie from each generation can receive this ability at random. In this case, Dandelion's father passed down the ability to her!

• At the back of her hat, there's a blue gemstone broach, presented in a red ribbon. The broach is as old as her family and was given to anyone lucky enough to receive the blessing. Though, it is unknown how their family managed to get their hands on it, it's unknown to them as well. No one seemed to mind or notice it, but those who do always point out one thing. . . Its uncanny color resemblance to Pure Vanilla Cookie's souljam. . .

While writing Dandelion into both the og & Starlight Starbright, I might have accidentally written a love triangle with her & three canon characters(no joke-) So I'll explain:

Clotted Cream: Ever since meeting at 18, Clotted Cream always had the biggest crush on Dandelion. They were originally arranged to be married by House Custard, but that was quickly shut down by both Dandy's parents, to which Custard Cookie protested but failed miserably. Now as proper adults, the two have an amazing friendship, with Clotted visiting Dandy as much as possible. When she returns to the Creme Republic, he helps alongside her in her dad's vet clinic, Crumbs & Critters, usually helping clean or preparing meals for the animals, he never helps with the animals themselves due to fear but Dandy couldn't be more thankful! Of course, she's completely oblivious to Clotted Cream's true feelings, which causes a lot of self-doubt on his end. It leads him to question if he's good enough for her, especially after finding out about her previous crushes

Red Velvet: Speaking of that, when Red was still living with The Ancient Heroes, and way before Dandy was introduced to Clotted Cream, Red Velvet was Dandelion's first real crush. They met on accident as preteens; while exploring the Pure Vanilla Kingdom with her father, Dandy stumbled onto a herd of sheep, who all immediately surrounded her for pets once they found out she was there. As Dandy & her father desperately tried pulling her out of the cute yet very suffocating cuddle pile, in came Red Velvet to the rescue! pushing through the herd of sheep and used his cake arm to pull her out. They exchanged some introductions, and she'd been smitten with him ever since. During this time, everyone was sure the two would end up together, they had the same interests & goals, they supported & respected each other, the fact they spent so much time together, it's literally perfect! So, imagine everyone's surprise when Dandy's crush dissolved, allowing the two to stay friends. In adulthood, they're still best friends, helping & hanging out with each other whenever they can. Heck, Red is the reason she has the nickname "Dandy!" But despite them being super close as friends, some cookies can be a little jealous, Clotted Cream is no exception. He always felt self-conscious around Red Velvet, especially with Dandelion, and he kinda has every reason to (I mean c'mon, Red Velvet literally swept Dandelion off her feet, he's basically the guy she tells you not to worry about!) Thankfully, Red is aware of his feelings for Dandy, and tries to remind him that they're just close friends and nothing else, which does make him a bit better. . .

Butter Roll: If we go even further back in time, Dandelion actually knew Butter Roll of all cookies, well, not entirely. . . They briefly met as children & hardly talked after. Though, this didn't stop Butter Roll from gaining an interest in Dandelion, not a romantic or even a platonic one, just an interest, a curiosity if you will; Where did this ability even come from? How did her family come across it? And why has been in her family for generations? All questions Butter Roll wanted & was determined to know! From the vibes Dandy got from him as a child, she found him very unsettling & kept her distance, despite him always approaching her. Now, as adults, their conversations are quick & brief; neither are in the Creme Republic a lot due to work, but Butter Roll is usually the one that approaches her, asking her questions that make Dandy uncomfortable & disturbed. Unfortunately, Dandelion is much too polite to turn him down nor ask him to leave her alone, so she tries dodging the questions and keeps their "talks" short. . .

As for her other relationships, they're all fairly simple:

Financier: Her & Financier are quite fond of each other, not outright friends but they do get along, as they know each other quite well. Though, she does find herself talking for Clotted Cream to Dandy when he's too nervous to ask her something, which she kinda hates doing so is just honest with her. That's another thing, Financier is fully honest with Dandelion and tells her things for her own betterment, saying how she's much too polite, that she should toughen up and set boundaries, but Dandy unfortunately doesn't listen most of the time, or she tries to make excuses for it. . . All & all, they have a good relationship!

Wildberry: Despite not knowing Dandelion as well as Clotted Cream or Red Velvet, Wildberry is quite fond of her. What made Dandelion so interesting to him was her different connections, and the cookies she befriended across Earthbread; they relate to each other a lot, so they talk a bit about their jobs. Dandelion's stunning and often reckless bravery is always something that scares the heck out of him; How can anyone just walk up to wild beasts like that!? Regardless if it's her job or not! And Dandy's power just confuses him even more. Wildberry is one of the only cookies who questions her little quirk, but makes sure that she doesn't get upset; he views Dandelion as sweet & naive so keeping her safe & comfortable is a priority. Speaking of that, he's more than happy to shoo away creeps like Butter Roll away from her, which she's forever thankful for. Overall, the two have a very nice friendship!

Crunchy Chip: Chip presents himself as this strong, tough as nails, warrior, so it's not surprising that he found Dandelion annoying at first. It wasn't entirely the same on Dandy's end, she found his nature to be rather problematic, but nothing too bad. What made Chip turn the other cheek was Dandelion's extensive knowledge on beasts, especially creme wolves, and how to properly treat them; so, the first time Dandelion addressed Crunchy Chip's wolf as a "creme wolf," had him taken aback due to being to use to having to correct cookies. They both have a deep respect for each other's jobs, as they both work with animals, they too also share stories about their several experiences, giving each other helpful information as well. Dandy & her father are the only vets that Chip trusts with his wolves, which is a big honor on his end, a privilege which they Dandy & her father gladly accepted. Chip (in Starlight Starbright) throws a lot of parties once he's out of the mountains, and often tries to invite Dandelion to them as rewards, though her attending usually depends on how busy she is. And that's not the only way he tries to reward her either, usually providing her with money or protection from the Creme Wolves, which Dandelion tries to reject but almost always fails miserably. Although they didn't start off in the best of ways, they made for a pretty nice friendship!

(Bonus Headcanon: Wild & Chip are very aware of Clotted Cream's crush on Dandelion, and try to be his wingmen. With Wildberry actually giving him good advice, and Crunchy Chip. . . Not so much. Financier is also aware, but does want to be involved, and thinks the others shouldn't be either. . . But can't do much about it)

Gingerbrave: This brave little lad has always been willing to help anyone he meets & is just a joy to be around, which can be perfectly said with Dandelion! Like Clotted Cream, Gingerbrave tries to help Dandy & her father at the clinic as much as he can, mostly from the kindness of his heart. He even helps with the animals! Though he can't help but recognize a few of them from his travels. Dandelion & her father are of course forever grateful for any help with the clinic, but despite that, their relationship hasn't really become more than that, just Gingerbrave being his helpful self & Dandy being thankful, mostly due to them both being busy. And they're ok with that for the most part

Custard III: Clotted Cream mostly keeps his visits to Crumbs & Critters a secret, and for good reasons too, one of them being Custard Cookie III's constant insisting to come along, to which he's always forced to say yes. As many children his age are, he's quite pushy with the animals in the clinic, not respecting space or boundaries. His ego also doesn't help, as he believes he's the greatest animal tamer in the lands & gets upset when they don't listen to him. Of course, it causes a lot of embarrassment of Clotted Cream's end, and frantically tries to apologize to Dandelion for his nephew's ignorance, which fortunately she fully understands. She's very patient with kids, and Custard Cookie III is no exception, so she usually teaches him proper etiquette around the animals. Alongside his ego, like most children, Little Custard is filled questions on the critters, their behaviors, and much more, question which Dandelion are more than happy to answer. Custard Cookie III has no idea why his uncle enjoys being in Crumbs & Critters so much, nor why he likes being with Dandy so much, all he does know is that it makes him happy, so why question it?

Pure Vanilla: Since Red Velvet & Dandelion basically meant through the Pure Vanilla Kingdom, so it'd only makes sense that they have a good relationship. Whenever she visits the Pure Vanilla Kingdom, it is almost always animal-related, as she often helps Pure Vanilla with animal check-ups. Other than that, the two are often seen feeding the birds, or taking strolls to the royal garden, talking about life. Pure Vanilla sometimes talks about his desire to visit Crumbs & Critters, and Dandy always tells him every time he's completely free to visit when he's able to, which always makes him happy. To cut things short, they went from work-based, to a more grandfather & granddaughter relationship. . . Which is both perfectly ironic & sad✨

Hollyberry: Likes with everyone, Holly welcomed Dandelion with open arms! And for good reasons too. Admittedly, Dandelion was a bit overwhelmed by Hollyberry but got around to it. Hollyberry knew she'd like Dandy the second they met, from the passion towards her job, to her undying bravery when helping wild beasts in need, and the fact she was good friends with two of her sons, so it was perfect. Like Crunchy Chip, she regularly rewards Dandy for her ventures, mostly through giving her barrels of berry juice, parties, and many other gifts, which Dandelion always tries to decline. Till Holly offered her & her father something they could refuse. . . Hollyberry gave them full permission to build their animal sanctuary in her kingdom, even land to build it on, which made them overwhelmed with gratitude, and try to pay her back; which Holly more than happily declines, she is helping a friend

Pitaya Dragon: Yeah, against all odds, Dandelion is weirdly close to Pitaya Dragon Cookie(aka The Red Dragon) How!? well let me explain. . . Dandy's relationship with Pitaya is a little bit complicated, as her extensive knowledge wasn't what got them interested; cause dragons don't care about knowledge, you silly goose! It was Dandy's ability that got them curious. How so many animals can be drawn to one cookie is something they wanna know, but instead of actually asking, they observe, watching Dandy help creatures from a distance. Other than that, Pitaya Dragon does have the habit of teasing her, as they do with all cookies; ever since the two met, they're always belittling and condescending towards Dandy, calling her "a weak & simple cookie," and regularly makes fun of her job, calling it pointless. And despite all of this, Dandelion is nothing but kind & sweet to the Red Dragon, cause trust her, she knows better than to let comments like that get to her! It's only when Pitaya got sick themselves & Dandy rushed to help them, did they realize just how important & impactful her job is; but knowing Pitaya, they refuse to admit it. Now, the two are kinda in a weird patch, creating this one-sided frenemies type relationship where Pitaya tries getting under Dandy's dough, and Dandelion still being as nice as ever!

Dark Cacao: At first, Dark Cacao didn't really know what to feel about Dandelion, and pretty much wanted to dismiss her right off the bat; she was from the Creme Republic after all. . . It was only her relationship with two of his sons, did he let her stick around. Unlike most of the Ancient Heroes, Dark Cacao was kinda taken back by her politeness, immediately not trusting her because of it. He even sent some of his watchers to look after her, and was pretty baffled & surprised they had nothing to report, in fact only praising her & her ability. Upon realizing King Dark Cacao's distaste for her, Dandy tried everything in her power to get him to trust her, through all she did & knew, in attempts to impress him, but they always fell flat. One day, Dandelion was finally able to earn King Dark Cacao's trust when helping him deal an infestation of smaller creatures "invading the kingdom." Nowadays, their relationship is in the middle; not the worst or the greatest, Dark Cacao developed a sort of "Let em cook" mentality when having Dandelion deal with animal-related problems in his kingdom, while Dandelion is always happy to help; Dark Cacao's even completely willing to do favor or two for her. Overall, despite starting out rough, they're in no way close, but they get along!

And that's all I made! Dandelion's an oc I've been cooking up in my brain for awhile now, so she has a lot of lore! Including some other things I left out. . . Since I'm on summer vacation now, I have the full opportunity to make a pt.2! I hope you love her as much as I do! 💞💖✨

💫For now, be on the lookout for my other projects

🌼✨And as always, stay tuned^^!✨🌼

[devotioncrater]

jason and co being like if there's gonna be a s4 they're gonna need to wait for the inspiration to strike of where to take the story if there even is any further story. meanwhile james is out here with his 70k fic lined up ready to go

JASON SEASON 4 IS TED ACCEPTING LOVE OKAY. HE HASN'T DONE THAT YET HE NEEDS THAT ARC. season 4 ted learns it can be about him. and all these people that love himmmm

SAY IT!!!!!!!! ted needs to break down his walls and allow himself to be taken care of!!!

also....the way i would watch s4 even if the football focus was gone....astronomical. if it was just a season full of no real plot outside of ted in richmond learning to accept love in all its forms, count me in. give me that same type of storytelling derry girls used, where it focuses in on every day life with no big overarching stakes.

it'd never be boring because the past three seasons have laid the foundation for character-driven shenanigans from a stacked cast of individualized characters.

you can't tell me phoebe and henry wouldn't cause mayhem together the second roy and ted introduce them to each other. or that trent and ted in a museum together would be anything but an impassioned game of Who Can One Up The Other In Weird Niche References & Jokes. or that the week before a fundraiser event, rebecca would paint ted's nails over a wine night to see which color would best match her dress, all the while ted opens up to her about whatever is on his mind.

a season of domestic, steady life in richmond where ted isn't under this insane "what am i doing here" pressure would be amazing, i think. we'd finally see what ted is like when he's settled in and relaxed without the strain of living away from henry. what would his home decor choices be? does he teach henry how to bake biscuits? how does he show up for his found family outside of the role of Coach?

i think it would be interesting to see how the other characters operate outside of the Football Club backdrop, too. do will and leslie go to more jazz clubs together? what does dani do on his days off? have moe and beard ever accidentally run into each other on a night out?

there's so much potential there to keep building up the richmond lore & world & relationships

[deadmomjokes]

How is bean doing?

Best wishes for the start of a new school year!

I honestly thought I had answered this earlier, so my apologies for leaving you hanging!

The Bean is doing pretty great! She's a whole four years old now, which she's very proud of, because as we all know, 4 is when you become a Big Kid (apparently).

This year is her first time with a different teacher at preschool, and we were worried about how she'd handle it. She LOVES her old teacher, and had been with her since she started there at 2.5. There was exactly one day of mild confusion and mild pouting, but she's been a total rock star about the transition and is still loving school.

Her only complaint is that she wants to be friends with some of the other kids, but they aren't very kind to the teacher and don't listen to what she (teacher) says. They whisper when the teacher tells them it's not talking time, and they get up and leave when they're supposed to listen. So maybe she (Bean) can't be their friend, because they try to talk to her and distract her when she's trying to listen to the teacher, and that's not very nice.

Let me tell you, hearing that was kind of a relief. She's a wiggly, distractible little squirt with more than a few signs that an ADHD diagnosis may be in her future, so I've been worried in the back of my mind that she'd end up being a bit of a disruptor. Hearing that she, of her own volition, is trying to pay attention and avoid distractions was just amazing.

I told her I was proud of her for making good choices and sticking to them even when other people are choosing something different. We talked about how we can't control what other people do, but we can always choose what we do and how we respond to them. I also explained that you can be friends with people who don't make your same choices, and that being a friend doesn't mean saying yes to everything they want from you. Sometimes being a good friend means telling someone no and making a better choice, and that's called being a good example. She said she didn't like how they kept trying to make her do "not good things," though, and I told her she can always choose her friends, and she doesn't have to hang out where she's uncomfortable or with people who upset her.

Who would have thought we'd be talking about peer pressure in preschool? Complicated life lessons right out the gate, man.

Then, of course, we have the time she got in the car all weepy eyed and frantic, and goes "Mama today in class there was a roly poly on the floor and [classmate] wanted to smush it and I told him no, so I picked up the roly poly but [teacher] said we needed to put him outside, but I really love roly polies so I just pretended to put him outside but really I put him in my pocket so I could bring him home because I love him and he is so cute, only I didn't want him to fall out or crawl in my pants so I moved him to my backpack right here, but now I can't find him in my backpack and I think he's gone D: "

We scoured that backpack. No roly poly, living or smushed. He probably escaped (lucky for him). We had a discussion about how bugs aren't happy inside, and when we love something we have to do what's best for them, so even though we really love bugs, we shouldn't put them in our pockets and keep them inside because they need dirt and grass and rain and all the things they can only get outside. Also it would be very scary to be stuck in a giant pocket and backpack, so next time we won't do that because we don't want to scare the roly poly.

Have I mentioned that I love my child? She's kind of the best, and that is not sarcasm. She's a hoot and a half and I adore her, and the way her little mind works.

[xsturniellax]

the bench

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Summary: a short story about a little date between you and matt :)

Warnings: kissing, fluff, not proofread.

A/n: dm me if u have any ideas of a story for either Matt, Chris or Nick!

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Messages:

Matt❤: hey my love, wondering if you want to meet up at mine to go out tonight for a little late night walk?

Y/n: hey, yeah it sounds great! :)

Matt❤: okay, meet here at 9?

Y/n: yeah okay.

Matt❤:okay see you then my love <3

Y/n: okay bye <3

Another day, another late night walk. Matt always loved taking me out, just anywhere really. He'll always get excited when I come round, and he'd always give me a chocolate bar or flowers. It was a dream come true.

As I got ready, my phone kept pinging with notifications from matt saying 'I love you' or 'can't wait to see you'. He was so cute.

I decided that I'll make my outfit casual. Recently in LA it's been hot at nights, so I only out on a white crop top. I paired it with somr baggy jeans and matching white trainers. There was so need for a bag this time.

Luckily I only lived round the corner from them, so I'd walk to their house. The streets would be normally quiet, unless you count cute old couples.

* knock knock *

I arrived at their house and waited out the door. Matt answered the door and looked at me in shock.

"Hey, you look so beautiful." He says, looking at my outfit, "these are for you my love." Of course they're flowers. It's like he's my soulmate.

"Thank you!" I say, taking the dark red roses, and kissing him on the lips. I take his hand and he shuts the door.

We hold hands, fingers interlocked. He walked me to the park where we sat on our bench. It's been the same bench every single time, but it has an amazing view of the city.

We lived on a hill, so this park was special to us. We could see all the lights, with the dark clear skies. Sometimes we'd lay on the floor and stargaze, or just lay there, together.

We sat on the bench and he put his arm around me. I started to get cold and shiver physically, making him realise.

"Are you cold my love?" He asks, taking his big hoodie off and gives it to me.

"Thank you, I thought it would've been hot tonight." I say, as I put on his hoodie. It smells like him, but in a good way.

"You can keep it tonight." Matt blushes and looks up at the stars.

"Thanks." I say, laughing a little bit. Deep down I never bring a hoodie just so I could have his.

We end the night by cuddling under the moonlight and the stars. We look at each other and share another kiss, before ending our date once again...

Thank you for reading! Dm me if you have any short story ideas, and if you like these!

[pillowfriendly]

tag game: 9 favorite characters

tagged by @gunkreads. this was really hard. lots of people left out that im sad about. tried to keep it to one per source material. not in any particular order

Nyneave al'Meara (Wheel of Time)

healer wizard. temperament of a tavern brawler but will yell at you if you swear. mama bear over people 1.5 years younger than her. severe personality issues and a dozen complexes. could fight god and win

Major Kusanagi (Ghost in the Shell)

she's a blueprint character for me much as ghost in the shell was very foundational to my taste. introduced me to the world of sci-fi and the amazing ways the genre can play with ideas, WHILE serving cunt

G'raha Tia (Final Fantasy XIV)

annoying prodigy historian turned spacetime-ripping wizard powered by and bound to an ancient solar power plant. i cant say more cause then we'd be here all day. im Not Normal about this character

Guts/Casca/Griffith (Berserk)

there should be dissertations written on them. griffith in particular is THEEEE character study of a villain in all of manga but i would not put him as my favorite because i want him shot into the sun and then the sun should blow up

Paul (The Locked Tomb)

this is NOT cheating to put another multiple character entry as one because Paul as a culmination of two characters arcs is important ok and i have a little room in my brain for them forever. (@keawi's art go look ok!!!)

Susannah Dean (The Dark Tower)

civil rights activist who gets isekai'd into a high fantasy post-apocalyptic horror western world, becomes a gunslinger, and proceeds to knock it out of the fucking park. she's two personalities duct-taped together. she ain't got no legs. if you look up "tough motherfucker" in the dictionary she's there

Madara (Natsume Yuujinchou)

not a complex character or anything i just like him so much. hes a kitty. he's funny. he was going to eat natsume but grew to care for him and now they're friends. he will never say this ever. he's actually a giant wolf demon. he lives as a fat cat and goes by nyanko-sensei. he's perfect

Amos Burton (The Expanse)

apparent bog-standard tough guy character actually a huge delight whenever he's on screen, ends up having an insanely compelling arc. prime poor little meow meow material of the S-tier guard dog trope variety and that wins an insane amount of points with me

Ishmael (Moby Dick)

this is not a joke he's my favorite narrator to ever do it. it's so much fun to be in his head, he's deranged and hilarious and a genuinely weird little man. king of tangents and making shit up

potential next victims: @iwishtobeafish @crowbandit @blackbutterflypriestess @terramythos @daedricprincessorigin @notimpossibell uhhh idk im curious about everyones but i dont wanna spam tag so just tag me if you see this and feel like doing it ok!!

[raphaelly]

About the Casino Royale stream on Beyond Live and how to make sure it happens again

I don't often write posts but I wanted to get something out for what is pretty much an historical day for Takarazuka. We just had for the first time in forever an officially subbed stream on Beyond Live, not only a platform fans not living in Japan can access easily without bothering with a VPN but also with subtitles in several languages and with the possibility of a restream with improved english subtitles at a decent hour (not at dawn and not in the middle of the night). And it was just so so much fun. Not only for long time fans but for new fans who never really knew how to get into something as niche as zuka, with people coming from all around the globe.

This is an amazing opportunity we just had and I'm sure we'd all like for this to become a regular thing. However, it's been stated that this stream was basically a test. If this whole operation turns out to be profitable, then we might have more of this. There isn't much we can do now about the profitability but there is one thing we can do to put the odds on our side : absolutely refrain from posting any pic or clip of the stream on the internet. TikTok, twitter, instagram, even private and unlisted youtube videos, just don't post anything about the Casino Royale stream out there.

I'm not saying this out of Respect For The Law. Frankly, I generally don't care about all of this and I'm not trying to preach about the Evil Of Pirating. But it's important for people to know who they're dealing with and Hankyu Corporation (the company owning Takarazuka) is extremely strict on copyrights and has been getting stricter recently. It is all too likely they might not only stop Beyond Live streams but they might even stop Rakuten livestreams, if the international fandom ever gets too careless about what we post.

I say "international" because most of us are used to a complete different approach when it comes to sharing content and the matter of copyrights. In all my fandom experiences, copyrights was never an issue I kept in mind but Takarazuka quickly showed me that it was going to be different. That's why I'm writing all of this, to warn newer fans that as much as I love their enthusiasm, it's better for eveyone if we all try to be cautious, or else we might lose the little we get.

We'll see how things evolve! With time, we could get looser about all of this but for the time being, I really urge all of you who might have taken pictures or recorded stuff to keep it to themselves or only share it through private conversations. Just no public posting.

Here's to hoping we get tons of livestreams with subtitles in the future 💖

[atlasscrumpit]

Avengers x Reader

"Is this really a good idea, Cap?" Tony grumbled sitting across the table from Steve.

"I know Bucky isn't your favourite person and...killed your parents. But, that was the winter soldier, not Bucky. I'm the only thing he has left, this will be the best place for him to heal." Steve said as Tony groaned and rubbed his face.

"I'm just worried about Y/N." Tony muttered.

"We'll just do our best to keep them seperated and try to explain it to Y/N." Steve replied as Tony sighed and nodded.

"Friday, could you get Y/N down here?" Tony asked.

They waited a few minutes and you came down stairs, with your teddy hugged to your chest like usual.

You were Tony's daughter but he didn't know about you until you were thirteen when your mother killed herself and he was the only one to care for you.

The only problem was you had a pretty bad accident when you were a child, leaving your mind basically at age four.

You sat beside Tony, muttering to yourself about some kind of story you'd just come up with.

"We have someone else joining us, to live here and eventually be apart of our team." Tony said as you looked at him and nodded.

"Now, they're a bit different. This person went through a lot and sometimes they can lose control." He said as you played with your bear.

"Like Bruce?" You asked as Tony smiled and nodded.

"Yeah like Bruce... But, this person can be even more dangerous. So, whenever he's around someone else has to be with you, okay?" He explained as you nodded again.

"Will he want to be friends?" You asked still playing with your bear.

Steve chuckled at your innocence.

"I'm sure he would love a friend, Y/N. You just need to be a bit careful around him, okay?" Steve said as you smiled a little and nodded.

"Okay, Steve."

--

The day came around when Bucky was moving in.

Tony made sure you were in your room and would meet under calmer circumstances.

Bucky came in and hugged his old friend.

"What's in your hand?" Tony asked as Bucky showed him a teddy bear that looked like him.

"Apparently they make bears or me... I tracked it down for Y/N. I thought maybe it'll help her get used to be and my metal arm." He said as Tony smiled and slowly took the bear.

"Well, that's very kind of you, Buck. I'm sure Y/N will love it, you can meet her later. I thought we'd just ease into it." Tony explained as Bucky smiled.

"That's a great idea."

--

Tony came into your room with the bear Bucky had brought.

Tony saw you on the ground drawing like usual.

"Hey, kid. I've got a surprise for you." He said kneeling down to give you the bear.

You slowly took it with a 'thank you' making Tony smile.

"Bucky got it for you, it's a teddy bear of him." He said as you ran your hand along the soft metal arm on the bear.

"Does Bucky have a grey arm too?" You asked making your father chuckle.

"Well, he has a metal arm. It's silver and made of vibrainium." He said as you looked at him with wide eyes.

"A metal arm? Woah." You muttered as Tony chuckled.

"Do you think you're up to meeting him?" He asked as you smiled and nodded.

"Yeah."

Tony lead you down stairs where Bucky was waiting with Steve.

You sat across from him and smiled nervously.

"Thank you for the bear." You whispered as he smiled.

"That's okay, Y/N." He responded as you stood up and slowly approached him.

"Can I touch your metal arm?" You asked looking away nervously as he chuckled.

"Of course you can." He replied, holding his metal hand out for you.

You slowly reached up and touched it cautiously.

"It's so cold... It's so cool." You muttered in amazement making Bucky chuckle.

Tony sat there and watched as you talked to Bucky and asked him questions.

Steve sat beside Tony and smiled.

"Went better than we thought." Steve said making him chuckle.

"Well, the teddy bear definitely soften the blow."

[dream-meister-translations]

DREAM MEISTER & THE RECOLLECTED BLACK FAIRY

TAMAYURA CHARACTER CARD #2

━

The other day, I was heading to the warehouse in the mansion with Shiranui.

SHIRANUI : Sorry to bother you with this. I just can't seem to find the ritual tools I put away.

EMMA : No problem. Hopefully we can find what you're looking for!

EMMA : …Huh?

It was there, under the shade of a nearby tree, I caught sight of a familiar figure…

EMMA : T-Tamayura…!?

SHIRANUI : Hm? What's the matter, is something wrong?

EMMA : Just… Look at him over there…

Many birds had perched themselves upon Tamayura's body, sitting peaceful on his head, shoulders and arms.

SHIRANUI : Oh, right, no wonder you're surprised, it's your first time seeing it.

EMMA : So he's always like this?

SHIRANUI : Yeah, it looks funny, doesn't it? Tamayura covered in birds!

As soon as we walked up to Tamayura, all the birds that had been perched on him took off at once.

TAMAYURA : …Shiranui, Emma. Whew… Good morning.

EMMA : That was amazing!

TAMAYURA : ...What was amazing...?

EMMA : So many birds were resting on you, Tamayura!

TAMAYURA : …Oh, yeah, we were just taking a nap together. They're all such good friends.

EMMA : Sorry, I chased all the birds away when I got too close…

TAMAYURA : …Ugh.

EMMA : So… You like birds, Tamayura?

TAMAYURA : Yes… That's right. I love them. I can't choose my favorite. They're all my friends.

Tamayura held a leather sack filled with grain in one hand.

EMMA : Oh, so you were feeding your friends, I take it?

TAMAYURA : …If the birds are full, then maybe they won't eat the bugs as much.

EMMA : Bugs?

TAMAYURA : …It's inevitable that we all have to eat to survive, but life is life.

TAMAYURA : Birds, insects, humans, we're all the same. The weight of our lives are equal.

TAMAYURA : So, even though what I'm doing right now is a very, very, small thing in the grand scheme of things…

TAMAYURA : I still… Wanted to do what I could to help…

EMMA : I see…

EMMA : So you want to take care of everyone, then? Birds, insects, people, even plants for that matter.

TAMAYURA : …Mm.

SHIRANUI : It's one of Tamayura's strongest qualities. He's kind to everything.

SHIRANUI : He's also so easy going and can joke around while keeping such a straight face.

EMMA : He can do that? …Tamayura can?

SHIRANUI : Yep! He's also a surprisingly big drinker! He loves to party and always takes the lead dancing at festivals!

TAMAYURA : ………

EMMA : (That's so surprising…)

From there, Shiranui shared all his stories and memories of Tamayura with me.

And by the time we'd found the ritual tools in the warehouse, I could safely say my image of Tamayura had wildly changed.

EMMA : Whoa, really? You danced 'til morning during that festival?

SHIRANUI : By the end of the night we were all so exhausted and drunk. Tamayura and I were the only one's left standing.

TAMAYURA : …I was having so much fun. I lost track of time.

EMMA : I wish I could have seen it. It's hard to imagine Tamayura getting in the groove.

SHIRANUI : Haha, it's only a matter of time now you're here.

━

On the way back to the house, Asahi noticed us and rushed over.

ASAHI : Tamayura, our guests from Koyomi no Kuni arrived earlier than expected. They are waiting for you in the guest room.

TAMAYURA : …Okay, got it.

EMMA : Visitors?

TAMAYURA : Yes. They have a request for me.

EMMA : Oh?

TAMAYURA : Emma, if you don't mind… Would you like to sit in on the meeting?

TAMAYURA : You said you wanted to see my work.

EMMA : Huh!? Yes, please, I'd love that!

━

TAMAYURA : …My name's Tamayura, Master of Talismans. Is your request in this package?

OLD MAN : Yes, yes. I hear the Master of Talismans here at Eternal Flower is very talented. I need you to do something about this…

The old man slowly unwraps the furoshiki to reveal a doll of a girl in a red kimono.

TAMAYURA : …It's beautiful. But it's on the verge of becoming something bad.

EMMA : What does "something bad" mean?

I glanced across to Tamayura and saw Mashiro standing in the shadows, her heckles raising menacingly as she glared at the doll.

The temperature in the room seemed to have dropped all of a sudden, causing my shoulders to shudder with involuntary fear…

[officalroyalsofpierreland]

Off Campus, University of Brichester, Pierreland

Magdalena [thinking]: Watcher Dammnit Lou...this is the fourth time this month... I can't keep spending money on expensive glasses of wine like this...I could just drink in my pjs...

Magnus: Hey Magdalena...you okay? Magdalena: Magnus? Oh...kinda. I was waiting for Louis and he..just told me he can't come....again Magnus: Fourth time this month right? Magdalena [sighing]: yeah... Magnus: Let me guess. He just told you too. Magdalena [sighing even more]: yeah Magnus: And this guy is supposed to be your best friend, yet he keeps standing you up.

Magdalena: He's at PIMA...the Pierreland Imperial Military Academy...and he just started...and they're strict and- Magnus: My cousin went to the Polytechnic in Francesim, and even they weren't so strict with him...granted he was finishing studies and was an exchange student but even he was able to meet people for drinks...it's actually where he found his girlfriend. Magdalena: Lou...Lou would've made it if-

Magnus: Why do you keep giving him chances? From what I can tell, he's been letting you down but you would jump at any time for him Magdalena: He's given me so many...[thinking] it's Lou...we've been with each other since diapers...he's..he's so critical to my life..and...I don't know who I'd be without him... Magnus: But just cause he's given you chances in the past, doesn't mean you have to continue to give him chances.

Magdalena: We go back...really far and...he's been there for somethings that few people have stayed for, but you make a point...I think it'd just be...nice if he made plans like this on breaks...where the time is for sure... Magnus: I'd bring that up to him...that way the time is quality but also so you aren't paying for expensive glasses of wine and getting dolled up just to sit on your lonesome. Not that I'm complaining. Magdalena [giggling]: Thanks...what are you doing here any way? Didn't think this was your scene. Magnus [chuckling]: You're right...it isn't..the unit for my regiment back home wanted to host a get together and I figured I'd have a drink and head out...seeing you was a way to work my way out of that rambunctious group.

Magdalena [nervously]: Wanna finish these and get out of here? Magnus: for sure.

Magnus: I never realized how beautiful Pierreland could be...especially in the fall. Magdalena: Mama would tell me about it. She'd joke with my Dad that if it wasn't for the two of us, she would've returned to Pierreland. She also makes sure we come to Pierreland every so often, which is why Louis and I are so close. Our mom's are really close. Magnus: You don't speak much of your family. Magdalena: Neither do you. Magnus: I asked first Magdalena: Well, I'm the oldest of four. Though with my parents, who knows if I'll have more siblings. I'm technically adopted by my mom but she's been in my life forever and I didn't even know my incubator so Mom has always been mom. I love my parents, even though their mushiness is nauseating. Siblings are great though a bit irritating. Kinda sucks my parents are super busy though. What about you?

Magnus: Well, I'm the oldest of three, we're all boys so it sometimes felt a little bit more like we lived in the hunger games [Maggie laughs]. I'm close to my cousin whose an only child so we'd get into mischief. My parents are great, Dad was in the army and- Magdalena [thinking]: Why is Louis still on my mind...he stood me up...he kinda takes me for granted and here's Magnus who kinda reminds me of Papa and Mama...he's so nice, sweet, intelligent and damn his jaw line is amazing and yet...why does my heart hurt cause of Louis but races around Magnus...what the hell is wrong with me

Magnus: Magdalena? [his voice grows soft] Everything all right? Magdalena: I'm sorry...a lot on my mind and I didn't mean to ignore- Magnus [softly hums]: It's alright Maggie. You've had a lot on your mind. You got stood up by your best friend, and you were looking forward to that time together. Magdalena: But I was ignoring you. You always make time for me, provide me with wisdom and insight, and always listen. I shouldn't take you for granted.

Magnus: You would never be able to take me for granted Maggie. You have reminded me of my first love, reminded me of what it's like to have no responsibilites, how to move through the world with waves instead of the strict lines I've been trained...you've reminded me that I'm young...not like my older mentors...that life isn't all that serious Magdalena: It's shocking I remind you of no responsibilties...I have so many... Magnus: We're both the eldest and that responsibility is heavy...but you've been walking lighter recently...like that weight is lifting

Magdalena: Really? Magnus: Really....Your eyes are also so much brighter....it's like staring into an even more beautiful and clearer ocean... Magdalena: Maybe...it's cause for the first time in a while....I feel supported by someone who isn't my parents

Magnus: which is what you deserve. You deserve to be supported. Magdalena: That...that is the first time in a long time that I've heard that and believed it. Magnus: May I? Magdalena: You may.

@simsroyallegacy