#lost my mind i was like hello??? am i seeing this correctly??

[neonsbian]

wayv being on not 1, not 2, but 3 music shows this comeback? insanity luv <3

[opens-up-4-nobody]

Boruto things that made me lose my mind (ep 94-119):

I like how none of the kids from the original naruto teams are friends as adults lmao

Chocho: how could my mom love my dad? It has to be his ravenous appetite

Kakashi @ sasuke: lol u r so bad at bonding with ur daughter *proceeds to give him terrible advice*

Kakashi telling sasuke how to interact with his daughter: use a soft and loving voice. When you talk to naruto- (ok stop, let's appreciate your line of throught right there)

Sasuke @ sarada: I wanted to be hokage once (and babygirl that was one of your top 10 most fucking batshit insane moments)

OK the cursed marks apparently use genetic manipulation, which is odd and really interesting. I assume it works like a virus, inserting and expressing foreign... demonic? DNA. Weird.

Why are all anime scientists evil?

Karin: time to torch all these cursed geese 🔥 Sarada: no, stand back, I'll do it myself 😠

The more they say Karin is not sarada's mother, the less I believe it

...a goose they said was genetically incapable of flying flew away... fucking what? Just tying hard in exactly the same way as everyone else is not how you overcome genetic disadvantages like that????

Why all this moralizing abt kindness toward animals? This is a show where kids beat the shit out of eachother and murder ppl. Can we focus on not doing that maybe???

Orochimaru: hm looks like mitsuki is becoming too gay, we may have to delete all his memories 😔

Kakashi: why dont u wanna believe in ghosts? Mirai: if ghosts are real, why hasn't my dad visited me? (Hey kakashi, this would b a good time to tell her abt the time u spent literally dead? No? Ok cool)

THE CULT OF JASHIN?! HAHAHA. Losers.

Why tf do they even hold the chunin exams? Just promote ppl based on merit like they literally just did with shikadai??? (Historically its bc ppl like watching death matches)

The commercialization of the shinobi within the village makes me wanna spit and bite

Houki abt kakashi: the one who nourished lord 7th 😤 (is that really true tho? I mean he did his best but team 7 was a clusterfuck)

Konohamaru: there is no shortcut to becoming hokage! (Yeah sure but there is huge favoritism toward those trained by the previous hokage...)

Boruto: people aren't in love unless they overtly say it (I love to image this is how Boruto sees how ppl feel abt everything and that's y he's so loud and blunt abt things)

Random village: we stave off a demon by joining two bloodlines in an act of incest ✌️

Konohamaru, casually: my grandpa died by entering a deal with an entity beyond human comprehension 🤷‍♂️

[little-writers-posts]

Something More Between Us (The Milkman x GN Reader)

Author's Note: A short draft that was playing in my mind because of the milkman on TikTok. I hope you enjoy.

Warnings: None.

Word Count: 781

The clock marked 9 p.m., marking the end of my shift as a doorman at the apartment complex where I live. I stretched out on the chair and sighed. At the same time, the other doorman comes through the door to take my place and start his shift.

“Hey, (Y/N), how was your day?” he asked as he started to unpack his things.

“A little tiring, to be honest. Had four residents, plus two without an entry request, and caught six doppelgangers, some more violent than others, but it comes with the job, I suppose.” I said as I packed my things.

“I’m lucky to be on the night shift” he smiled. “I only have three tenants on the list, and according to the DDD all the tenants are in the building except for those.”

“Don’t be careless. Our lives are at stake here.” I warned. “But, you’re right, you’re lucky.” I smiled.

I quickly scanned his list for the night and my heart skipped a beat. Francis name was there, I assume he left for his job as a milkman and, if I remember correctly from my night shifts, he was one of the first to arrive. 

When I started working as a doorman as well as living at the building, one of the perks was to get to know the people who lived in the same space. I always thought that Francis was good-looking, even with those tired eyes. However, even if we do chat a bit at the door or on the occasional bump in the corridors, we never really moved past that. He is a very reserved person and prefers to keep things private, I get that, plus he never seamed that interested in me.

As I was lost in thought, I heard two voices in the entrance lobby and realised my colleague was gathering all the folders to check the information.

“Mmm… Hello” I heard Francis say through the door.

“Good evening mister Mosses” greeted the doorman. “Let’s see…”

I resume my packing, picking up some final things left and reaching for the keys to my apartment.

“All good! You may go.”

“Perfect.”

The second voice reached for the window, “Good evening.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Looking good as always Mr. Gauss”

Once I had everything I left for my own apartment. When I reach the elevator, I saw that Francis was holding the door.

“Oh, thank you.”

“It’s nothing,” he said, “Izaack is also coming so I thought I might wait for both.”

I joined in and backed up against the wall, standing next to him.

“Our prettiest doorman is joining us today, its always a pleasure walking with you” Izaack mentioned as the door shuts, “Did you think about my proposal?”

I sighed for what seems like the thousandth time today. “I am not interested in going on a date with you, thanks.”

“Oh, come on, (Y/N).” He insisted. “It’s going to be fun, I promise. And I’m not just talking about dinner, you know?”

He stepped closer to me. Suddenly, I felt slightly trapped in that elevator. I tried to move further back, but I was already up against the wall. Isaack started to raise his hand to grab me by the chin and possibly bring me even closer to him. However, it didn't come to that. A body came between me and the raised hand.

“Geez, Francis, relax” Isaack chuckled. “I was just messing arround.”

The doors to the elevator opened on the second floor. Isaack was walking out into the corridor, but looked back before the doors closed again.

“You sure can be scary when you’re angry Mosses” He gave that characteristic smile of his. “See you tomorrow.”

The doors closed and Francis moved out of the way.

“Thank you” I whispered to him.

“Hm.” He raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Listen, if he ever bothers you again liked that, let me know, ok?”

“Oh, don’t worry, Francis” I said while massaging the back of my neck “He's infuriating, that’s true, and persistent, but I can deal it him.”

The elevator reached the third floor.

“I mean it.” He said while leaving to his apartment. “I… I do worry about you.”

I was about to put the key in the door when I suddenly stopped and looked at him. He stared at me with his tired but expectant eyes.

"I didn't know..." An embarrassed but broad smile appeared on my face "Thank you, Francis, I care about you too, a lot."

He nodded and gave a small smile, turning and heading for his apartment. 

After all, there might be something more between us than I thought.

[kanekisfavoritegf]

PERFECT LOVER: The Life of Nanami Kento the 35 Year Old Virgin

MINORS & BLANK BLOGS DO NOT INTERACT YOU WILL GET BLOCKED

SYNOPSIS: Kento Nanami, a 35-year-old introvert with a tendency to avoid social interactions, has made a conscious decision to steer clear of romantic entanglements. However, everything changes when he meets a new colleague at his birthday party, (Satoru's Idea). From the moment they meet, he is mesmerized, finding himself increasingly unable to resist her magnetic presence. Like taking a bite of forbidden fruit, he becomes ensnared by the allure, delving into a realm of infatuation and finding himself unable to break free. As he delves deeper into this newfound connection, Nanami begins to realize that he craves more than just a fleeting experience and yearns for more than just a fleeting taste of what she embodies.

Table of Contents

WORD COUNT: 1.8K

Part 2 1/2 was added to the beginning! So if you have already read it, skip to where it says “TWO DAYS LATER.”

CHAPTER THREE:

The drive from Kento’s apartment was short enough to make you consider walking next time. If there was ever another situation in which you’d be leaving Kento’s apartment in the morning.

“And where the hell have you been?” You practically jumped out of your skin at the sound of Yuki’s voice. You turned around to meet her smug face from across the hall, smirking like she knew something you didn’t.

“Such a warm welcome from my favorite neighbor,” You quipped, unlocking your door.

“You were at Kenny’s, right?” 

“Kenny? Who i– Oh! Kento. Yeah.”

Yuki followed in after you, her eyes lingering on the clothes you threw into the washer. It was only then that she realized you were wearing her university’s graphic tee. This might have been an ordinary occurrence any other day, but not when you spent the night at her old university friend and coworker’s house, especially not Nanami’s.

“You didn’t sleep with him, right?”

“No, of course not.”

“Good.” Yuki sighed.

“Good? Is he dating someone?” You felt your breath hold as you wondered aloud, only releasing it once answered.

“No, he doesn’t date.”

“Like at all?”

“Nope.”

“Is there a reason?” 

“It's not my story to tell.” Yuki shook her head. “He is touchy about the subject.”

You only nodded.

“Not even casual hookups?”

“Hey! No.” You would have been offended at the harshness of Yuki’s voice if her expression of horror had not been so amusing, “He is off limits.”

“What do you mean?”

“He is the lonely virgin; one hookup with you, and you will ruin him.” It was a little surprising to hear Kento was still a virgin, but not because of his age, but his demeanour. The way he carried himself. Indeed, he must have had someone he wanted to be with that intimately; surely someone would want him so intimately, but then again, you only knew him for a few hours; who knows what he is actually like.

“You make it seem like I am some succubus.”

“You might as well be Y/N.”You only rolled your eyes at her. “Listen to me, Y/N,” Yuki’s hands cupped your face like a child needing grave warning. “You can not deflower poor Kento.”

“He isn’t a child.”

“I know, but–” Yuki lost the words on her tongue, knowing no explanation would do it justice. “Just don’t. He isn’t Satoru or Suguru. He is a decent man, and if you slept with him, hell, if you kissed him, it would lead to places I don’t think you’d want to go to.”

“You hummed a sound of agreement and went to your bedroom to change. Thoughts of Kento are still in your mind; the more Yuki speaks about him, the more you want to pull back each layer of him to see what exactly makes him the way he is. 

Yuki’s words still echoed in your head as you showered “hell if you kissed him, it would lead to places I don’t think you’d want to go to.” But it was already too late. Kento Nanami was undeniably curious about you, just as much as you to him.

TWO DAYS LATER

“Hello, Mr. Nanami! If I read my email correctly, you are supposed to be showing me around today.” 

This was the first time Nanami had been caught off guard. For some reason, you stood in front of him in business attire, a skirt cut just above the knee, black stockings and a white dress shirt hidden beneath a black cardigan.

 He stared down at you as you stood before him, a nervous smile painted on your face as he did so. His expression was even more blank than he had given you three days ago. It almost seemed like he was angry, but the more he stared at you quietly, you couldn’t help but feel as though he may have just forgotten you. And the very idea of Nanami forgetting you made you slightly (very much so) annoyed. 

Was kissing strangers after housing them in his very nice, very clean apartment a common occurrence for him? Was walking around in shirts too tight around women clearly captivated by him an everyday experience for him???

Okay, you understood it wasn’t technically a kiss to be written in the history books and that it was you who kissed him. But that didn’t take away the feeling of aggravation snaking its way up your spine.

“I’m Y/N.” You stated.

“I know.” Was all he said in return, turning to his desk and logging into the company computer, leaving you standing there awkwardly as he faced his display screen.

You peered over his shoulder, letting a few braids dip down and lay across his chest as you watched him. 

Nanami only let out a shaky breath as you did so, doing his best to ignore the heat that came off of your body as you pressed into him from behind. It didn’t help that you smelled like vanilla and chocolate; whatever perfume you wore was slowly snaking its way around his neck and choking him.

Choosing not to acknowledge your closeness, he focused on your name, typing it in slowly as he waited for an email mentioning you. When it failed, he then searched the word intern, and sure enough, it popped up. In his spam, a place where all emails specifically from Satoru Gojo were sent.

NANAMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII, I need a huge favor: babysit the new hires and show them around the office. I missed the flight yesterday, so I’ll be back next week.

Thanks!! 

Satoru.

“How does one miss a flight and choose to return in a week, not the next day?” You asked, a small giggle escaping you. Kento only shook his head, huffing slightly, before turning back around to face you.

“I’m Kento Nanami.”

“I knew that.” You replied shortly, and if Kento could kick himself in the knee, he would ten times over.

“Yes.” 

“Yes?”

“Yes,” he repeated bluntly. Stay here one moment. When I return, I will give you a tour of this department. I shouldn’t be over ten minutes.”

Before you could even respond, he had vanished, disappearing down a corridor and around a corner, leaving you standing there, slightly bewildered.

Kento silently cursed himself in the supply closet. 

He was hiding.

 In a closet.

 Kento Nanami, the 35-year-old virgin, was hiding in a closet because a pretty woman smelled nice. It didn’t help that you had said his name the way you did. 

Smooth and slow and utterly… normal. Kento knew he couldn’t blame all his perverted problems on the object of his desire, no matter how much he wished to.

He sighed heavily, knocking his head into the door in front of him before opening it and emerging once again into reality. 

All he needed to do was keep himself calm and composed, not let his eyes drift to your lips, preferably avoid all eye contact, and not mention last weekend under any circumstances.

When he approached his desk again, you weren’t alone. Suguru stood over you as you leaned against his desk for support.

“Oh, it’s Mr. Nanami!” You pointed out, bringing Suguru’s attention to Kento as he approached you.

“Mr. Nanami?” Suguru smirked at you with a tilted head. 

“Should I not call him that?” You panicked for all of 3 seconds before Nanami cut in.

“No, no. It is fine.” Letting out a shuddered breath, “Call me whatever you want.” A weak smile went with his words as he twisted to meet the other man.

“Don’t you have a meeting to be in? Where is Yuki?”

“She is already in there stalling. I thought I’d welcome the new hire once again since Satoru has decided to skip his duties. Geto shook his head at the thought of Satoru sipping on mimosas and eating fresh fruit instead of doing his job, his very well-paying job.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you anymore. We can grab lunch or something later!” You suggested before sliding your way to the blonde man. “And you.” Nanami held his breath as you pointed his way, “You owe me a tour.”

“That I do.” Kento said, throwing a tight smile at Geto, trying to mask the ridiculous feeling of jealousy that began blooming in his chest. All Geto gave back was a knowing smile, a smile that you and Kento alike mistook for one given to yourselves, adding to the tension in the room.

***

Walking through the office was probably one of the most awkward experiences of your life.

Whenever you tried to open a conversation, Kento quickly shut it down or stirred it toward work. 

This would have been fine had he looked you in the eye at least once as he showed off every inch of the new environment.

“This is our break/rest room. A couch, blankets, pillows and noise-canceling earphones are stored away for when you need to sleep.”

“Ooo, that sounds amazing.” You peered inside since no one was currently rested. 

“Yup. All you need to do is flip the card to the red side, lock the door, and then, for at least forty minutes, peace is yours.”

“We pull many all-nighters here as the marketing team; with such a small group, taking forty minutes to one-hour breaks is pretty common.”

“Do you often sleep here?”

“No,” was all he said as he glanced over you, making his way to the kitchen, assuming you’d be following behind him promptly.

With each passing second, your patience wore thinner, and you couldn’t help but huff in annoyance.

As you stood in the final room of the floor, Nanami continued to drone on about the new kettle and fridge space, practically facing the wall opposite you.

“What is your problem?” You snapped at him.

“Excuse me?”

“Why aren’t you looking at me.”

“I am looking at you.”

“I am not talking about now; I am talking about this whole tour, or better yet since I approached you this morning.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You won’t look at me.”

“Y/N–” Kento started.

“You can call me Miss L/N,” You corrected, “I was nervous at the idea of starting a new job in a higher position than before, especially with all of you guys, who already know each other so well, so to be shown around by someone I “knew” it gave me a little bit of comfort. But if this is a problem for Mr. Nanami, then I can wait for Sugu- Mr. Geto, or Yuki to show me around after their meeting. “

“No.”

“No?” You repeated back at him.

“I am sorry.”

“Okay???”

“I struggle talking with women.”

“And looking them in the eye?” 

“Yes. To women I am attracted to, I struggle.” He now faced you fully, the tips of his ears burned bright red. You would have found this cute, had it not been utterly shocking.

Oh.

“It is ridiculous, I know, but I am trying to get it under control, so don’t worry about me. I am sorry if I have made you uncomfortable in any way.” And before you could respond, Nanami was back at his desk. Leaving you gobsmacked in the middle of the office Kitchen.

“Oh.” You whispered to no one, hand reaching out and touching your lips.

Preview...

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"CHAPTER FOUR" UPLOADED

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Heart's Vocalization Thoughts and Feelings

Hello and welcome to another round of Moonlight Chicken Posts That Literally No One @respectthepetty Specifically Asked For:

Heart Edition Round ?? i've lost count.

Mx. RTP may have gotten me hooked on red/blue through clothing but my first and truest love will always be lighting so I need everyone, but especially Professional Life Ruin-er Formerly Known as "Petty" (you're my best friend now, sorry I don't make the rules), to understand that this specific lighting ruined my life. Like on a cellular level, my body is a wasteland, my mind will never recover. Stepping in from the outside world, from Heart's world, Heart's life, Heart's home in to the rich, red, warmth of Li Ming's world, Li Ming's home. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, if my memory serves me correctly we never see Heart in warm lighting until the end of Episode 4, and we definitely don't see Heart in red lighting until Episode 5. Up until this point when Li Ming and Heart are together, there is always blue lighting on them, and especially when they are in Heart's home there is always a blue wash on the whole scene. So finally, finally we get red lighting babyyyyyy, fuck yeah!

Ok, sorry, I'm normal again.

Initial thoughts going in to the actual scene are as follows: 1. Stripes, my beloved! 2. Heart is so head over heels for Li Ming it's ridiculous.

Anyway, I love the small little smile that Heart has on his face here when Li Ming is essentially giving him an 'I told you so' to Heart about asking his Mom. I know that Li Ming sees Heart earlier on in the episode, but he isn't present for the conversation between Li Ming and his mother so regardless of whether he knows that Li Ming talked to her, I don't think he knows the specifics. But he follows this comment up with "You're smart. You can persuade her." Obviously he knows that something happened because Heart's mother has never listened to her son before, why would she start now?

So! Much! Red! Lighting! They are in love your honor. I am so grateful for every moment we get to see of Li Ming and Heart alone together having fun. They may be on the edge of adulthood, but there is still so much repressed youth in them that has been dying to get out and can't because it's been contained by parental shame, by the need to work to survive, by the nature of generational gaps and unsuccessful attempts to protect your loved ones.

When Heart and Li Ming are by themselves (with the exception of the post confrontation mental breakdown session in Ep. 5) there is so much joy between them. And look at Li Ming, he is so proud of himself here, for successfully persuading Heart's mother to let Heart leave the house. They don't have to sneak out anymore, Heart's parents are finally starting to understand that they can't make their son problem go away if they just keep Heart cooped up.

Once again like father-figure uncle like nephew, Li Ming has found himself a love interest that is also obsessed with the family cat. Honestly, this cat is living the dream, all he has to do all day is be held for approximately 30 seconds and get fed a fuck ton of treats. So far this scene is just very cute, Heart taking in his surroundings, attaching himself immediately to the cat, absolutely bathed in red light. And there is something so simple I love about the set up this moment brings to the important turning point that immediately follows...

Heart's holding the cat with both his hands. He can't text or sign.

Side Note: I am curious if Thai sign language has finger spelling.

And here we go! Heart speaks, not just vocalizes, it's not an exclamation of surprise, it's not a shuddering breath, or a sob. It's not a squeak or random sound Heart makes because he can't hear how loud he is being. Up until this point, every time we have heard a sound from Heart it has been unintentional. This is the first time we hear Heart speak. And importantly, he doesn't have to. He doesn't have to say anything. There isn't anything urgent, nothing that would require a sound to get Li Ming's immediately attention. He doesn't need to say Jimbo's name, literally right before this he looked at Li Ming and pointed to the cat. He could have ended the acknowledgement there. But he doesn't. He speaks. And he absolutely does not look at Li Ming while he does it. He keeps his eyes trained firmly on the cat in front of him.

I stole this gif from @earthpirapat because I don't know how to make them, and because I need anyone who reads this to see Li Ming's reaction in this moment. He is also looking at Jimbo, because he, like the audience, believes that Heart is going to end his acknowledgement of the cat's name by pointing to the cat. Li Ming is content to watch his friend play with his cat, and that's all he is expecting. Until "yyim-" tickles his ear, and Li Ming's head snaps straight up to Heart's face. You can tell how surprised he is at the way he pulls his head back a bit more to really look at Heart. To make sure that what just happened is actually real when he says "bo".

And I think it's important to know that Heart does not really seem hesitant to speak. He just...does it. What he is hesitant to do is look at Li Ming. He waits a full two seconds after he's said "Jimbo" to look up from the cat he is holding in his arms.

But he has nothing to worry about because when his eyes go to Li Ming, what does he see?

A puppy dog of a man, radiating excitement. Li Ming is beaming. It's funny to me a little bit that the thought has never seemed to cross Li Ming's mind that Heart, who only went deaf three years ago, is actually able to speak. But nevertheless he is thrilled.

"You can speak?" he asks, and he's chuckling a little and pausing and you can see all the gears in his head turning as he signs because it's like his whole worldview just got rocked. And GOD I love this moment so much because from the second that Heart speaks Li Ming's eyes never leave Heart. Or if they do it is literally an unconscious thing that is happening when he's trying to remember his signs. Heart puts Jimbo down and Li Ming literally folds his body in half, to follow Heart's movement, bends over to tap him on the shoulder. "Hey, you can speak?" he says again.

"Yeah? Can you speak again? I want to hear." he asks, and he's baffled. He's losing his signs. Like he is signing successfully to Heart, sure, but it's taking him much longer to create his sentence than it normally does because he's still in such shock over what just happened. That Heart can speak, that he heard his voice. His brain cannot keep up with his emotions.

The face of a man verrryyyy skeptical that his voice would be that exciting for anyone to hear.

"I"

"Want"

"To Hear"

"Your Voice"

I have no thoughts. I have no notes for this. It is just an incredibly powerful moment to me in furthering Li Ming as a safe zone for Heart, as someone trusted and precious. Each sign is deliberate. This is a deliberate request. This isn't a question built on surprise, "wait wait do it again" this is specific. "I want to hear your voice"

Look how pleasantly surprised Heart is. Look how happy, how bewitched he is in this moment. A few weeks back, I wrote a post analyzing Heart's communication. At the time I wrote it, I was doing a lot of speculating about Heart and his ability to talk and what it meant for the character if he could versus if he couldn't. The tl;dr version was me essentially wondering how much agency Heart has over his own isolation. Is he capable of talking and chooses not to to test the people around him, maintaining control of his own isolation, with speaking as a lifeline, or because Thai is a tonal language did he lose the ability to speak because not being able to hear might impede his ability to make distinct tones. Either way he has the ability to talk, it's a matter of whether or not he could be understood if he did vocalize his words.

I got a pretty quick reply from @littlederxxnged with a link to this Tweet quoting P'Aof and Heart's voice:

And if this quote is real, if the reason Heart doesn't speak is because he lacks the confidence to, this makes the scene all the more important and all the more wonderful for me. Because it's showing us, the audience, that Li Ming makes Heart feel confident. Li Ming makes Heart brave.

And I love that I don't get a sense of fear from Heart in any of this. Surprise? Yes. Confusion? Yes. Skepticism? A bit. Hesitation? Absolutely. But it doesn't seem to come from a place of fear. Heart is not afraid of using his voice around Li Ming, and he is never afraid of what Li Ming's reaction will be. He certainly has no idea what Li Ming's reaction will be, but it shows how much trust these two have built in one another, that Heart feels safe enough with Li Ming to test his voice.

I don't know if Heart will speak again the show. I don't care if he does. Speaking is not his primary language anymore and he doesn't owe his voice to anyone. I just want to establish that before I say I find it so much more special that Heart says his own name, rather than Li Ming's here. Why? Because the way I interpret Heart's character at this point is a man who is far more certain about what he wants out of life, now that he is able to live his life again. We get to hear Heart's name, we get to hear Heart speak for himself.

Something really cute about this moment as well is Li Ming's reaction. "I heard you just say your name!" I love that he signs to Heart what he heard. I love it so much. We know that Heart is hesitant to speak, and it takes him a second to get the word out, and I'm sure he can feel the vibrations of his vocal chords when he says his name, but he can't hear it. Li Ming is SO obviously happy, so obviously thrilled.

But this is about Heart, Li Ming's feelings have nothing to do with it. Okay, Li Ming's feelings have everything to do with it for Heart. But Li Ming's initial, gut-reaction response to hearing Heart, hesitantly say his name, is to hype the ever-loving FUCK out of that boy.

"You're great! You're awesome! How can you speak? You're so great. I'm happy." and GOD Heart can't even hear him say it. Li Ming isn't signing here, I mean he is very obviously happy, and very obviously showering Heart in praise. But Heart cannot hear him. For most of the hug he can't even read Li Ming's lips. But the pride, the joy, the excitement is so palpable. He's jumping up and down, you don't really need to hear his words to feel how happy he is about what just happened.

He pulls back "How could you do it? I'm happy. Can you see? I'm so happy," He is talking so fast. He is talking so so fast. He cannot contain himself. But he has integrated himself so much into Heart's life, that despite the fact that he is fully forgetting to sign here, he is touching Heart, he is jumping up and. down with Heart, he is showing Heart how much being trusted with his voice means to him.

Sweet baby angel, you are talking so fast. He sees a bunch of words coming out of your mouth but does not hear what you are saying. And he looks confused because he definitely did not anticipate this strong of a positive reaction to just saying his name. Especially when you consider he isn't confident in his voice. He looks confused because he almost certainly did not anticipate this outcome.

(Ignore the subtitles on that second picture, focus on Heart's smile)

Does Heart owe us his voice? No. Did we ever need to know if he could speak? No. Does this moment hit particular hard after the confrontation scene last episode concerning the use of the term "mute" in reference to Heart. Absolutely. We saw how much it hurt Heart to learn his mother refers to him as mute.

We know Heart has to beg Li Ming to even tell him what she said, Heart can see how much Li Ming hesitated to deliver that blow. He saw how strongly Li Ming was standing against his parents, he's a smart kid. He might not be able to follow the full conversation cause it's happening quickly, and they are shouting which fucks with lip shape to read lips, and Li Ming and his mother are both facing away from him. But he knows his mother said something bad, he knows Li Ming defended him.

It is so so so so so SO important to me that Heart decides to speak in this moment. That he uses his voice casually, to say a cat's name, in private, with just the two of them.

Heart's voice is not a commodity, it's not a novelty. It's a gift. And Li Ming treats it as such. Heart is being vulnerable with Li Ming. Heart hasn't spoken to anyone in three years, and when he does speak in front of Li Ming for the first time Li Ming literally cannot contain his joy. I love how many times the camera cuts to Heart's face in this, to show us to tell us that Heart loves this. That he is surprised by it, but that he is more than happy to speak again, that he is smiling the whole time because he knows how important it is to Li Ming. Because it's important to him too.

If you finished this whole post, congratulations you have won an invisible medal.

[beefrobeefcal]

Fellow scout beefroooooo!!

🌪️ asknado in a trailer park time! 🫡

What Pedro boy haven't you created for, are you intimidated by, or feel like your HC is so niche or different that you can't find the muse to create for him? (Bonus points for an explanation!)

Hello Scout Mar!

I like this... it's a dozy of a question. I think the P-boy I am the the least likely to write is...

Oberyn Martell. Why? While I think he's just peachy keen, I have no want or need to delve into beefing him up. I will read the heck out of OM fics if I feel called to it, but the inspo I would have had for him died in May 2019 with the way GOT ended.

Call me shallow, but that whole cluster fuck of a series finale left a terrible taste in my mouth.

Now, you're lucky, @marisferasiop, bc this is a multi P-boy answer for me (even if you never intended it to be). Because now I'm going to sound off who I have yet to give a good beefening to and whether you can expect them or not. See below the cut!

Yours in sin,

Beefro👌🥩💜

Jack 'Whiskey' Daniels ✅ yes! eventually. I had nearly 4k words written for him but lost it all because I apparently had to learn a lesson about using auto-save correctly.

Tim Rockford ✅ He's so far only appeared in a HeftyThrowaway, but I have a delightful thot or two in mind for our 46 second crime solving king.

Max Lord ❓ Other than how chunky he looked in WW1984, I just cannot get on the hype train with this character. Maybe in the future? or if a really good thot comes into the THOT TANK...

Max Philips ✅ Yes. I feel like he and Dave York are two sides of the same cookie. There's gotta be something there, right?

Marcus Moreno 🚫 I've only ever seen gifs and screenshots of this film and while I enjoy the view, I am just not interested (for now).

Penis Collector ❓ I saw Drive Away Dolls in the theatre - went to see Pedro on the big screen - and if I can somehow figure out a way to incorporate random, drug fueled side notes through out, this is a strong maybe.

Silva 🚫 I have read enough Silva fics to know when to step away and let the masters do their work.

Din Djarin ✅ BEEFRO IN SPACE 🌌🚀🧑‍🚀

Javi Gutierrez ✅ Oh heckin heck yes! Currently working on his debut!

Pero Tovar ✅ I did not understand the hype for this character until I watched this man's grumpy ass yearn for food and roll his eyes at Matt Damon.

[lestweforget5]

The Brady pov was my suggestion and I am so excited to read it! I def could use something to look forward to right now also

Hello, Nonnie!

I have a feeling that this story is going to be a long one, so it might be a bit before it's finished and ready to be posted, but we shall see. That being said, I don't have much else to do right now besides write, so ...

Anyway, sending you good thoughts since it's sounds like you're having a rougher time of it right now, maybe, if I'm interpreting your message correctly.

And a sneak peek of The Lost, Found, Part 1 (The Miracle):

One part of [John's] mind went back to his dream, as his fingers started to make their way over his rosary beads and the other half of his mind began to mentally recite the familiar prayers. He had dreamed of M’lle Zig Zig’s cockpit many times these past three months, of Millie dropping out of her turret and then appearing between their chairs, asking if they needed her help. Sometimes, his mind conjured up the scene almost as it had happened; other times, the details were twisted into scenes more nightmarish than reality. Last night had been almost exactly as it had happened. If John closed his eyes for a moment, he could still hear her voice with its familiar southern twang, see her beautiful dark eyes, the only part of her face visible above her oxygen mask. He wished, sentimentally, that there had been a moment for an actual goodbye, not just his harsh order for her to go.

[paralyze-fic]

Paralyze.

Chapter 15

Summer had already begun, but Aizawa had told us to not leave the country- more like don't leave Musutafu.

At the moment, I was about to head to Bakugou's house because that fool said something along the lines of 'You're the only one who's barely bearable' and how quiet I was.

"Mom, I'm going to Bakugou's house," I said to her as I walked by the kitchen towards the front door to put on my (shoes/boots).

"Honey," I looked over my shoulder, seeing my mother peek her head out of the kitchen door. "You've been staying so much with that boy, when can we meet him?" I felt my face heating up slightly at the sudden image of Bakugou meeting my family.

With the difference that we were dating in that image.

"Um... m-maybe after the training camp," she didn't seem content but smiled nonetheless.

"Well, have fun," I grinned at her and finished putting on my (shoes/boots), I stood up and walked out of my house.

On my way to the Bakugou residence, my mind started thinking and imagining. Lots of that thinking involved Bakugou, he and I confessing, going on dates, our first kiss, meeting my parents... I was basically in a love bubble, but the hard reality had to pop it making me remember how Bakugou didn't even like boys and how much of a coward I was to openly confess to him.

A depressed sigh got out of my mouth and I seriously thought of turning around and going back to my house to spend the rest of my day sulking like the depressed gay I am. But the Bakugou house got in my sight and the spiky-haired blond shouted at me through his window.

"It's open, asshole!" After his yell, I could clearly hear Mitsuki's yelling too.

"Katsuki, don't wake up and start screaming!" Their interaction made me chuckle as I walked to the front door and turned the knob slowly.

"Sorry for the intrusion," Masaru tore his eyes away from the TV and smiled at me.

"Hello again (M/n), how are you?" I smiled as I closed the door behind me.

"I'm fine, thank you." I took off my footwear and grabbed a pair of spare slippers to put on.

"Did I hear my future son-in-law's voice?" Mitsuki's words made me freeze on the spot and caused my entire body to heat up, I felt like was inside a stove being cooked.

"Dear, stop with that, you're making him uncomfortable," Masaru's sentence made the blonde woman scoff slightly and smile at me. She was gonna say something, but heavy steps stumping down the stairs echoed inside the house.

"Why are you taking so fucking long?!" Bakugou yelled as he walked to me and began dragging me upstairs by my wrist.

"Katsuki, I already told you to be nice to (M/n)!" He just groaned and ignored his mother's words, opening his bedroom door and getting us inside.

"That old hag should mind her own business," he grumbled as he threw himself on his bed, soon turning to look at me with his usual scowl. "You're gonna sit or what? We're gonna play some games and I'll finally beat your damn ass."

//////

Turns out, I was better than Bakugou in a videogame aspect too, and as soon as he lost another Mario Kart round, his body fell backwards on his bed. "I absolutely fucking hate you," I just giggled and poked his side. Immediately, he moved away. Since the day I tickled him, every time I would poke him he would get away from me and throw me some glares.

Glares that only made me want to play with his hair as if he were some cute little puppy.

I threw my hands up in an 'I'm innocent' way and he huffed.

"One more time, I'll beat you for sure this time," He sat correctly and grabbed his controller.

"Yeah, for sure, you've said that for the last five rounds," He pushed me and I almost fell from his bed.

"Shut up! I will win this time!" Right as he was about to hit the start button, his mother screamed something at us.

"Guys, there's a friend of yours here, come down!" I frowned at that and looked at Bakugou, he seemed confused too.

"Come on," his hand grabbed my shirt and I whined.

"Why do you always have to drag me everywhere? I can walk on my own, you're aware of that, right?" He shook his head and walked to the stairs.

"Don't care."

When we got to the living room, we saw Kirishima talking with Masaru.

"What're you doing here, Shitty Hair?" I jabbed Bakugou's rib, in my own way of saying 'Be nice'.

"Midoriya invited us all to go and train in the school's pool, wanna come?" The mere mention of the word 'pool' made me shiver and come up with thousands of outcomes at the thought of having to wear those tights swimming trunks.

I'm not a Free! character to be so confident in that piece of fabric.

So I immediately backed away, fake coughing and walking to the front door. "Ugh, sorry Eijiro-kun, I'm feeling a bit sick at the moment, *cough* *cough* I'm gonna go home," my feet dragged me in a 'tired and sick' way towards the front door, when a hand grabbed me by the collar of my shirt.

"You're not going anywhere," Bakugou's voice whispered hardly in my ear. That made me shiver again, but it was way more pleasant. "If he doesn't go, I won't go either," Kirshima smiled brightly and turned to look at me.

"You're coming, (M/n)?"

///////

"I can't believe you made me come," I muttered harshly at Bakugou, who smirked after he had put on his swimming trunk. I had my clothes on still since I told them that I didn't want to swim, whether I knew how or liked to, they didn't have to know.

"And I can't believe you almost let me alone with Shitty Hair," he chuckled and pushed me forward to walk. "Come on, you're gonna at least watch," Kirishima was waiting for us at the door and the three of us walked out. I saw all the boys and the girls here too.

My eyes landed on Todoroki's body, and I had to look away so I wouldn't have a nosebleed. He's so damn pretty, it's unfair.

I might like Bakugou, but I still have a pair of pretty good functional eyes.

It seemed like poor Midoriya had said something that made Bakugou mad -even though he always was- and his stumping walk towards him made the green-haired cinnamon roll get scared.

Cue a sigh getting past my lips.

I looked for a place to sit and I saw some of the boys covered in the shadow. My feet dragged me there.

After some talking, Iida came up with the idea of a 50-meter race to know who was the fastest of them. I wasn't sure if I would've won if I had participated, but meh, for now, I'll just enjoy the views I was granted of the guys and try to not look like a pervert if I just so happen to glance at the girls.

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

Do you have a scene you really liked but weren't able to fit it in a fic? Would you care to share? Do you have a most recent favorite line or scene? What is it?

*Asks are sent for fun, no pressure to answer.

Hello, AM. Thank you for the ask. 🥰 The answer is...YES! This actually happens all the time. 😂 Actually, right now, I'm trying to decide between 3 different beginnings for The Raven Prince because I can't decide how I want Bilbo and Thorin to meet.

However, one that I have to share is from Ambassador to Madness. This is originally how I was going to have Thorin ask Bilbo to court him:

The sharp crack of stone had Bilbo jumping in his seat, and he quickly scrambled to grab a book to hide the fact that he’s been staring blankly at the opposite wall for the last half an hour. “H-How was the council meeting?” Bilbo smiled politely as Thorin stomped into the room. “Long.” The prince complained. “How...is your book?” Bilbo fixed his fake smile in response to Thorin’s odd look. “Oh, yes. It’s fine. It’s all...fine.” “It’s upside down.” Thorin pointed out. Bilbo looked down only to wince at his mistake. He risked a glance only to see Thorin raising an eyebrow at him. His husband must think he’s an idiot. “Yes, well...it’s not important.” He coughed out. Thorin nodded slowly as he turned to move into his bedchambers. Bilbo slumped back in his chair resisting the urge to bury his head in his hands. “Master Baggins, if I may?” Thorin suddenly spun back around. Bilbo found himself scrambling to his feet for no discernable reason only to give a wry grin. “We are married now, Your Highness. I believe it is appropriate to merely call me ‘Bilbo’.” “Then you must call me ‘Thorin’.” The dwarf returned. “Of course.” Bilbo nodded his head as he folded his hands behind his back. Silence settled over them for a moment past comfortable. “Yes, Bilbo, I wanted to ask…” Thorin started. “Yes?” The hobbit pressed. “It’s just...I know that this...us...o-our marriage is a ruse, and you’re certainly under no obligation to say yes. I just figured...I want to do right by you, and I thought maybe you would allow me to court you?” “Court me?” Bilbo repeated stupidly. Thorin nodded. “But...we’re...married.” Bilbo spoke slowly hoping to convey his lack of understanding in this conversation. “Yes.” Thorin coughed clearly embarrassed. “I know.” The silence stretched out again. “Is this a...cultural thing? Do dwarves court after marriage?” Bilbo finally blurted. “No, we court before. I just...in my head before my grandfather happened, I thought I would have time to do this...properly. Dwarves only do this once, and I just feel as though we were...cheated.” Bilbo smiled in spite of himself. He found Thorin’s speech to be terribly endearing. “Thorin, you’re under no obligation to me. We’re not actually married.” He reminded. “I know.” Thorin nodded. “But you’ve given up a lot for this little scheme of ours. And when asked about our courting, I want people to know the prince did things correctly even if out of order.” Of course, this was about Thorin’s public image. The smile slipped from Bilbo’s face as he nodded his ascent. “Then by all means, if it’ll clear your conscious of imaginary slights.” Thorin’s brows furrowed as if trying to ascertain if he had been insulted or not. “Balin will assign you a teacher for courting procedures tomorrow. So you aren’t caught by surprise.”  “Of course. I look forward to it.” Bilbo nodded in return. He waited until Thorin left completely before collapsing in his chair again. What an utter waste of time. Not for the first time, he felt bad for Thorin. He realized from their wedding night that Thorin was clearly a romantic and yet he had been forced into a loveless marriage without a chance to properly court all because his grandfather lost his mind to gold. 

As for a favorite line or scene...I think I'm going to have to go to one of my 99 Problems one-shots I'm going to reveal later this month:

“What are you doing here?” He demanded quietly. “I had to see you.” Thorin murmured. “I can’t stand us having been apart for so long.” “So you just left Erebor in the middle of the night?!” Bilbo cried incredulously. “It was technically late afternoon when I left.” “Thorin.” Bilbo pressed. “Who knows you’re here?” Thorin blinked, and Bilbo braced himself for either a lie or a truth he didn’t want to here.  “You…” He stated slowly. “And I did write a letter to Balin.” Bilbo groaned as he let his head fall forward, hitting Thorin’s thick chest. The dwarf wasted no time in pulling him close so he could kiss the top of his head.  “What’s it matter? I’m here now, and you and I have unfinished business, Master Baggins.” Bilbo couldn’t help smirking at the sultry tone in his voice. “Do we?” He played coy while running his hand up into Thorin’s beard. Thorin leaned into the touch with contentment as he bent down to give Bilbo a proper kiss.  “I promise I’m not the least bit tired this time.”  Bilbo giggled before kissing Thorin again. He was just about to suggest they make their way to the bed when there was a bang outside his door. Bilbo jumped in surprise and Thorin tightened his grip on him, pulling him slightly behind his back. Another bang, and the doors came flying open as several elven guards rushed into his room. “What are you doing? What’s the meaning of this?” He demanded as they latched onto Thorin pulling him away from Bilbo. “Master Baggins, are you okay?” The head of the guards asked. “I would be perfectly fine if someone told me what was going on!” He snapped. “We saw a shady figure break into your room through the balcony.” He answered as if it were obvious. “And you are just coming to his aid now?!” Thorin asked incredulously, fighting off the elven hands holding him back with all that he could. “I could have been an assassin and it would be too late to do anything!”

[autobot-ratchet]

MTMTE 28-30

MTMTE 28

man, after seeing so many different lineart and coloring styles over the course of Dark Cybertron there's just something about the combo of Alex Milne's lines and Josh Burcham's colors. There's just nothing else like it lmAO not a thing wrong with any of the other artists or any given combination of them even, but when I think “MTMTE” I think of Alex Milne's lines with Josh Burcham's colors

Rodimus is so ready to get the fuck out of here and get back to the quest, same buddy I am over it lmAO

still love Rung casually taking off his glasses. I remember that blowing my mind the first time I saw it, I thought those WERE his eyes and he was like a chameleon lmAO

hjdfks I forgot about Swerve holding fake auditions for people to be let onto the Lost Light

It's so interesting watching everyone adjust to Megatron after the war because every single person who wants him dead is right for wanting him dead, but also that guy's gonna be your co-captain and you're gonna like. Care about his feelings and well being later on. It's wild lmAO

Skids is a good friend, checking in on Chromedome

I believe Megatron is fully bullshitting but damn, what a laser-targeted thing to say to Whirl

ooh, so Getaway started planning ways to get rid of Megatron like INSTANTLY, and that altercation with Whirl was just the first attempt

local man arrested for every crime ever. He just. Did all of them

MTMTE 29

oh hey it's the first Swerve recap. Absolutely hysterical that it's plot relevant that he starts doing these

oh Tailgate my fucking beloved it's been a thousand years lmfAO I always forget how long we have to go without him during Dark Cybertron

oooOOOH IT'S TEEEENNNN, HELLO SWEET ANGEL

poor Roddy's trying his best to be good and Atomizer is tempting him, with false info if I remember correctly. Man the mutiny was building up from the instant the quest restarted, huh. I mean it wasn't a mutiny the whole time, it gradually built up into it, but still

does Swerve's just have a little wrassling arena in the middle??? or is it just a space that's being used for wrassling

aww don't be mean to Teebs, his inhibitions are compromised don't tell him to do dumb shit

God. Starscream is so fucking embarrassing during the trial lmfAO he's been waiting his whole life for this moment and there is not a single person present or watching that doesn't know it

I also love that Starscream getting his moment to dunk on Megatron is what inspires him to fuck it all up instead of go quietly like he was originally planning to

god. Seeing Rewind again after so long is still a fuckin punch to the gut

“Ambulon's stuff (untouched)” oof ouch ooughfhgd

“I'm distracted, shut up. Stop expecting things of me.” me every day of my life

love this fucky quantum mishmashing of timelines

intensely fucked up that they show alternate Roddy's corpse before showing our Roddy on the ship in any capacity lmAO cute little fake-out

Magnus is so not happy to have to tell everyone that the trial's about to get stupid lmAO he has just been like :[ since the moment he had to come back from break

MTMTE 30

eyy I think this is the first time we've seen Magnus's hammer in this series. Feels right to see him with it

EEEYYY first sighting of the best version of Whirl's avatar!!! still such a good design

there's my boy Roddy, welcome back hon, here's your own corpse

for real though Optimus has really just been screwing Rodimus over like near constantly since they reunited, huh lmAO I guess in the case of making Megatron captain of the Lost Light, I get the logic, put him in the public eye so everyone can collectively keep tabs on him and all that, but like. Man, poor Rodimus, my boy can't have nothing on this damn ship

Roddy is so ready to chainsaw his own arm off to dodge death and honestly he's valid for it

it's super adorable how into Tailgate's account of the Luna-1 ordeal everyone is. Except for Getaway, you get the fuck out of here

Cyclonus is jealooouuuuuuusssssss

yeah, the list Atomizer gave Rodimus was fake, because Ratchet's name wasn't on it, oof. I won't say Ratchet's choice was entirely about Drift, but I can definitely imagine Ratchet being the tiniest bit less understanding of how Prowl manipulated him into bringing Overlord on the ship after having to watch Drift get exiled

“Not guilty,” he says. Bitch lmAO on a much sweeter note though, Magnus calling the Lost Light “Our home........”

y'know. I think one of the biggest problems the transformers fandom had while this comic was still coming out was I truly and genuinely think a good deal of them would read each issue once as it came out and then never look at it ever again and forget 90% of its contents because that was three entire issues in a row detailing exactly how and why Megatron got put on the Lost Light and how it's a temporary arrangement until he can be judged properly at a later date, sparing no detail as to how pissed literally everyone but Megatron is about this decision and exactly why they can't just execute him anyway, and I still had to see countless posts about how “Megatron got off scot-free and will never get any REAL punishment and Jimothy Robertson is trying to make us forgive Robot Hitler” lmfAO It's like. Right there. It says it right there just read

[ask-t3d]

hello again slippery slimer. why do so many want to kiss you?? specifically on the mouth, of which i do not believe you have at this point in time. unless you're not as much of a great soft jelly thing as one thought???

whatever.

anyways! if i do perceive this form of yours correctly, is that a bow that rests upon you? your head, maybe, if it can be described as such?? how quaint, cute, even, as an acquaintance of oneself would say.

i believe, as well, i have a message to pass along to you from such acquaintance, but now would be an inopportune time, so i suppose, with your not-so-finite amount of time, you can bear to wait until i am able to exert and stretch my mind to respond to you once again for this tantilizing, yet quite silly, question to be asked.

you will be surely underwhelmed or disappointed if you think anything this ally of mine could come up with could be any serious in relation to you at this moment.

aaannnyyyywwwaaaayyyyssssss!! i must now rest for a minimal, infinitesimal,even, period, for the purpose regaining energy lost. see you again soon. :9

-💫

(ooc: me when the pepto caramel hits and now im too terrifying for the naked human eye to comprehend without going mad/j)

I don’t know why so many people want to kiss me, though it isn’t an unwelcome change. Even though, yes, I am still a, uh, “great jelly thing.” And yes, that is a bow. It’s… nice? It makes me feel a bit more like a person in a strange way.

Oh, another question? I can’t wait…

Ooc: Once every couples months I am possessed with the urge to make a peanut butter/pickle sandwich (with nothing else on the sandwich) and it makes me feel the same way. It’s like the sandwich digests my organs

[nayruwu]

I feel same way about ons as you :') I got into it because of gureshin it's been long since I already lost interest alas. I was wondering what do you think of characters like guren shinoa mika & krul? I really liked them back then but now I'm really disappointed with how author wrote them since past few years & weirdly fandom still tries to act as if nothing wrong with them but "people didn't read correctly"

hello!! :D

i'm sorry that so many others seem to be suffering the same way i am, but it's also a little reassuring. at least we're not alone in our misery.

and i think answering your question will be quite fun!

well guren, obviously i love guren. he's so sad and pathetic and tired and broken he's like a wet cat. the way he loves, the way he does terrible things and hates himself for it but does it anyway because he knows he has no other choice, it's so intriguing and painful. i love it. there's aspects that bother me when reading the novels, like when i cannot for the life of me grasp why he is doing what he's doing, or when he's being an arrogant asshole. but then i read the paragraphs my friends have written about him and love him with my whole heart again. i think they called it blorbo-in-law, that fits it quite well.

but i feel like i need to mention, i totally get why people got so mad with him recently. the way it was handled with the kids just immediately forgiving him again after one word was just... not good. i wasn't kidding when i said i wanted him to be more evil. it was a lot more exciting when him and mahiru first started that "let's betray everyone" stizzle and we weren't sure if he was actually going to harm anyone. it was serious, oh the suspense! now he's just our friend guren again. let him go batshit insane. please. he's not a saint, and he doesn't need to be.

at this point the only one i can trust to truly judge and be mad at him for more than half a panel is shinya. and that's a little odd. also he's currently in eeby deeby.

ohh shinoa! i used to like her a lot. it's only natural, i guess, since she is so similar to shinya. i always thought her to be a less extreme version of him - shinoa was also trained to be numb and hide herself behind jokes and smiles, but she seems to retain more of her emotions than he does. she's scared of dying, she's not much of a killing machine, and she is very much capable of developing actual romantic feelings for someone. wow, shinoa!

now, the problem is the toxic view of love that mahiru drilled into her head, and how the story will adress that, if at all. i don't mind her crush on yuu, it's her proof of not being dead inside or worthless or meant to be alone. but the way she acts on it is quite selfish. she's taking after her sister a little too much for my liking lately. "i will get yuu back, even if i have to kill mikaela to do it", alright miss mini mahiru. chill.

i would very much like someone to drill some sense into her head.

as for mika, he was my favourite for quite some time. i'm afraid i can't speak on him anymore, though, since he's kinda wiggled himself out of my field of interest. younger me would be going insane over his angel self... but now, i actually don't have anything to say about him. he exists. he's a massive scapegoat. i wish we could have seen him bond with shinoa squad.

krul is great solely because she's somehow the only female character who doesn't have a crush on some guy. hooray for vampirism! i don't have that many thoughts on her either, but i do adore her. she treated mika fairly well, she acted against vampire laws, she was more trustworthy than others. and god, that chapter where she was turned into a vampire was so awful, i loved it. more of an ashera-perspective probably, but still! as i've mentioned, i'm not a fan of her and all the black demons having been angels before, so i can't bring myself to look forward to their reunion as much as i used to. but i'd still like to see it.

[vespersposts]

Diode

Hello everyone! 🥂

Here I am with a short story that I kept as a Christmas present, so Best wishes to you, thank you for your support!

(despite the fact that there is a big fight involved, so it's not xmassy at all😥)

As you may have guessed I'm trying my hand at all genres, so a bit of hurt/comfort and angst was needed too. I kept it short this time, it's only 2 chapters, the first one is SFW, the other one... Well, also, but I'm gonna put some warning when pulished!

The title refers to a term of electronics, that seemed to fit the story as the diode is defined as "a passive nonlinear two-terminal electronic component whose ideal function is to allow electric current to flow in one direction and block it almost completely in the other". 🧑‍💻

Kagami and Aomine are vying for your attention, lucky girl!

Last but not least: the guys are described in their late 20es, and so are you.

May these be wonderful days,

V.

Diode part 2

Diode Masterlist

-> more knb stories here 🏀

" If I remember correctly, champers is the only booze you like " 

His voice, on the warm August evening, is calm. 

His steps are slow and relaxed, now that he joins you on the terrace of the famous hotel from which you can see the whole city. Bathed in the darkness of the night, that messy tangle of streets and buildings looks almost romantic. You smile, holding the iced flute in your fingers, watching his tall, powerful figure take his place beside you. His elbow on the rail, his large hand next to yours, his eyes so dark and intense as they linger a few moments on your face, probably searching for some detail to confirm the year that has passed since your last meeting.

"All the best Taiga, happy birthday!" you exclaim, letting the glasses tinkle, filling the silence of those first few minutes with their clink.

"Oh, thank you! " he chuckles, drinking the liquid in one gulp, abandoning the empty glass,to focus his gaze on an undefined spot in the landscape. You know he is nervous; but you also know that he is trying hard to mask the awkwardness that has been creeping into your rare interactions since "the incident."

"You look good, Chicago treats you well " you observe, getting his attention effortlessly, wetting your lips with the fizzy, bitter liquid. He nods and leans his back against the bannister, unconcerned that his expensive suit might get dirty, directing his gaze still on you, on your shoulders, left bare by the black dress you are wearing, on your hair gathered in a simple braided hairstyle. He smiles, a spontaneous smile, warm, tender, so full of expectations that inwardly makes you feel guilty.

"I'm glad you came. Crossing half the country for a rival's birthday wasn't his priority, I guess!" he points out, taking his gaze away from your eyes and onto another young man, inside the hall, engaged in lively conversation. 

"Ex-rival" you correct him, curving your lips into a shadow of a smile. "Now that you are two professional NBA players, you have nothing left to contend with " you acknowledge, putting aside the half-full glass, the only thing that now separates you.

" I've told you several times, my goal wasn’t defeating him, I just wanted to take his place" he admits, bringing your glass to his lips "However, I will always be glad to see your pretty face" he concludes, smiling tenderly, looking away from you to follow the slow pulsing of the skyscraper's lights.

"Taiga…" you sigh, opening a hand on his arm, trying to chase away the bitterness with which his last words were soaked. 

The silence that falls between you is interrupted by a burst of laughter and that name, chirped by a female voice.

"Enough!" reacts the birthday boy, turning a harsh look at you "You must have really lost your mind, if you're smug about being treated like garbage!" he concludes, turning his head back toward the room, so that you can see what he finds unacceptable.

Daiki laughs slyly, partly from the alcohol, partly because he is probably turned on by the presence of that famous lingerie model, who takes care to keep pressing all her delicious curves against his tall figure. The tanned man's eyes roam eagerly over the body of that undeniable beauty: full breasts, tight dress, soft hips, thick, shiny hair used as a mischievous means of seduction, now that she weaves it over her perfectly manicured fingers.

You shiver when you intercept the resolute, cutting gaze of that living Venus, who’s shamelessly challenging you. You shake your head and return staring into Taiga's dark eyes, which await a response.

"Women like him, and he returns the favour, no surprise." you exclaim without any restlessness in your voice "She, in particular, is very attractive and so driven that ... You might have a point, I could be alone tonight " you admit, shrugging casually.

"Will you call me ?" he asks, lowering his face to yours, bringing his long fingers to your temples to settle a strand of unruly hair behind your ear, leaving you with a slow, warm caress that makes you feel a little pain.

"You know I won't " you answer truthfully. 

Your voice disappears into the night, but his gaze remains the same.

"You are such a good girl! " he sighs, leaning over you to place his lips on your forehead. A seemingly intimate gesture, an act that lingers for a few seconds, for you to fully understand its meaning. He pulls away when he feels you tremble: he knows he has broken through to your senses, but perhaps what he doesn't know is that the only thing your body feels is a fierce, rumbling anger, beating like a wild animal under your skin to get out.

"I am, but that's not why you want me so bad " you rub into his face, taking a step back, taking away any chance of being reached by his arms "So...why do you want me so desperately, Taiga?" you ask as you lift your face to his, taunting him.

When you see that glint in his eyes, you know he gave up his act . 

You both know: the reason isn’t one, it doesn't have an unique name, but it doesn't have many either. 

"Stop wanting to compare yourself with him about everything, or like now, you will never know if your feelings are real or just a form of competition" you calmly explain to him. "Actually, you don't want me. You just want to have proof that you are better than him by taking away something you think he cares about. It's disrespectful and makes no sense. You're talented, you're hot as hell, you're one of a kind. So is he, but everyone is in their own way" and you pause, because you don't know how to make your point fast and clear. 

Too bad there is no more time, because you feel Daiki's eyes staring at you coldly.

"If I had known your feelings were true, I still wouldn't have called you tonight. I would have given you everything a year ago in Tokyo, because I liked the way you took care of me. Now it's all fake, useless, artificial " you emphasise, heedless that anyone might hear you. 

"Always good at speaking your mind! Too bad, lip service won't change the fact that you deserve someone who loves you more! " is all the red-haired boy manages to say.

"You're right. He gives me little and nothing, but at least that little and nothing is true. As long as it's enough for me, it's none of your business" you conclude, lowering your gaze briefly, turning your back on Taiga but also on your boyfriend, who has joined you on the terrace of the tall building, annoyed by your lingering involvement with his former nemesis.

Daiki sees your figure slip away beside him without a word, without a glance, without the slightest attention to his presence. Your back is bare, the long necklace you have worn backward dances on your milky, velvety skin. His gaze follows you, until you disappear to the back of the room, swallowed by the low lights, blurred by the silhouettes of all the people who have come to celebrate Kagami. He wants to move, but he feels his arm squeezed by another person's: that girl who has been smiling and throwing herself shamelessly at him since the party began. "I brought you another cold one! " she snickers, taking a sip before letting the beer sit between his fingers. The boy shakes his head, but your words do not disappear; rather, they return crisp and buzzing in the form of a message on his smartphone. 

" Back to the hotel. Since I'm a light sleeper and I'm sure you've already found a place to crash, I might as well meet you at the airport, remember the flight is at 8 a.m. I'll take care of your things. Have fun."

click for Part 2

[atsadi-shenanigans]

Feeding Alligators 8: Mind Your Language

You have words! And immediate bad news!

On AO3. Rated M for language and violence.

“Are you sure it’s working correctly?” Goth Girl says.

“For the price I paid, I certainly hope so,” Mumu says.

You hear the words. Not as they are, but their meaning. Like an overlay voiceover of original dialogue that British documentaries like to do.

“Say something else,” Fancy Pants says in an absolute goblin tone.

You sniff noxious fumes, blow your nose again. The taste of burning dirt lingers in your mouth like grease coating your teeth.

“Y’all can understand me?” you say.

Mumu’s face lights up. “Yes! Yes we can! Hello! So nice to finally be able to communicate with our mysterious traveling companion.”

Mysterious. What you are is lost, dazed, and in desperate need of a toothbrush.

“Sorry for the swearing,” you say. The words form on your tongue in English. Leave your lips as English. And twist their shape in midair before they reach the others.

“No apologies needed, my friend. I myself can rather attest to the affront to the senses that is the Potion of Tongues. I am glad to see it’s worked, though I am sorry it took me so long to realize this particular cure to your ailment; Wither’s commentary was the last piece of the puzzle.”

Your eyes still water. You squint at him as the speech assembles in your brain.

“Withers?” you say.

“Our good friend over there.” He gestures to Jerky Man. Whose actual name isn’t much better.

“Right.”

“So. Another dimension, eh?” Mumu says. “I suppose the mindflayer nautiloid did travel extensively.”

You’re trying to come up with some sort of answer to the first part, catch the word “mindflayer,” and all that extra thought grinds to a halt. “Wait, what? The hell is that?”

“The tentacled monsters that snatched us,” Goth Girl pipes in. “Is that not what your people call them?”

…what. Wait. Squidward isn’t an alien to them. They know of them?

“No. I don’t…none of this is anything I’ve ever had to deal with.”

Keep it simple for now. Hide the full extent of your ignorance. You have to be useful to these people. If you become a problem or a drag, they can cut you out. You have no friends, no family, no…no culture here. You can’t even talk to anyone without Mumu’s charity (potion). You need to make allies. You need to make them your allies, and that means shrinking yourself, taking all your weirdness and loudness and folding it small and shoving it into a box.

It tastes like swallowing that potion again, burning down your throat to boil your gut. You won the right to be weird and loud. To have opinions. To flail and bitch and be dramatic. It took fucking years to dredge up all of what makes you actually you. But you can’t be that here. You have to be quiet and calm. Be docile and small. Fade into the background.

For a second, the nasty little thought pops up: maybe you should have sat back down on that beach.

But no. No. You’ve put too much work in to lie down and die. This will be temporary. You’ll make sure of that. Just until you can learn enough to secure yourself a place here. Until you can build the skills or the good feelings or hell, the money to be able to protect yourself. You can do this.

“I take it mindflayers aren’t a common occurrence in your, erm, realm?” Mumu says. He’s totally fishing.

Calm and quiet and perhaps a bit simple.

“Eh, not really?” you say. “I ain’t any kinda scholar or whatsit. I’m just an office clerk. I file paperwork, mostly.”

You’re not important and you’re not a threat. Head empty, hands busy. You can almost hear your mother smirking triumphantly.

Mumu’s head tilts. “What an interesting accent. I wonder if that’s a consequence of the potion?”

How does the damned stuff even work? It seems to be fucking with your brain. With your language center. You’re hearing a difference in the way they all form their own words—mostly from Fancy Pants, who sounds like some hoity toity British guy. So it has to be somehow translating social connotations of their language at you. Which might mean your own, basic southern accent can work in your favor here.

You lay the backwoods on as thick as you can. Really channel Uncle Randy at his most self-parody. “I don’t know about any all that.”

It comes out “ah-oun’ na-oh ‘bou’ any awl ‘at.” Every vowel is too vowels—unlike clipped, too-fast northern—and half the words don’t have their proper start or end.

“Oh gods,” Fancy Pants drawls. “She’s a bumpkin.”

It does translate connotations. Huh. His last word comes in a little weird, but you think you get the gist.

“Those cephalopod monstrosities,” Gale says. “Nasty bunch. I don’t suppose, then, that you understand the full horror of our circumstances?”

Well that sounds like bad news.

“No?”

“Regarding the tadpoles? And the melt-change-condition?”

That word morphs in your brain way weird. Comes in totally garbled. What he says is one word, but what you hear is a very literal etymological breakdown of it? And it sounds downright nasty.

You squint at him.

“The tadpoles gestate in our brains before turning us all into mindflayers,” Goth Girl says. “We saw the results on the nautiloid.”

It takes a long second. That day is kind of a swiss-cheese fuckaroo in your memory. And then you remember the girl’s mouth splitting open as tentacles vomited out of the ragged hole in her face.

You stare at Goth Girl. Back to Mumu. The floor tilts beneath you.

“The what, now?” you say.

So Mumu repeats it, but in full-body graphic horror this time. Sweating. Bone liquification. Skin splitting. Shitting out now-useless internal organs.

You’ve never fainted before. Gotten dizzy? Yep. But an honest to god swoon?

You reach out and grab the edge of the table to keep yourself vertical. Fucking xenomorph bullshit, is what this is. Uncle Randy was right: aliens are out to get you, and they’ve got you.

As if sensing the brewing existential crisis, the brain worm—tadpole—behind your right eye gives a jaunty wiggle.

You swallow down the urge to puke. “How the fuck d’you fix that?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out. I don’t suppose you or, your people? Would have any solution?”

A surgical wing. Probably in some top secret “on foreign soil so U.S. laws don’t apply” military facility. They’d knock your ass out and go in with scalpels. Probably try to take the damn thing alive, your carcass be damned. Another missing Indian woman what a shame.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Not that I know of,” you say. “I’m from, I guess y’all said another world? It’s called Earth?”

You get blank stares. So this doesn’t happen often, then.

“We don’t have any of all this, this magic and monsters and shit. I was asleep, and then I woke up on that ship. I got no idea what’s going on, sorry.”

Mumu sighs and nods like he’s expecting it. “Well, I suspect a proper introduction is in order. Hello! I’m Gale Dekarios of Waterdeep, and it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Gale. Sounds English.

“Eleanor Ripley,” you say.

“Ah. Interesting. Can’t say I’ve ever heard a name like that. You are from a long ways away, aren’t you?”

“It’s French,” you say helpfully. “I picked it.”

He doesn’t ask why. Doesn’t make it weird. What about the name your parents gave you and why would you change your whole name and isn’t that the lady from that alien movie?

The name your parents gave you fits someone who doesn’t exist anymore. You picked a first name that sounded pretty, and your family name was too easy to track down, too tied to all that bullshit. And yes, it is a variation of the lady from the alien movie because that was the first one you watched that you weren’t supposed to. It scared the absolute piss out of you for about a year. But you saw it and got away with it and you got rather…attached to it, after you got over yourself.

Goth Girl is Shadowheart. It translates literally, and for a moment you think Gale must just be “particularly strong breeze”. Until Fancy Pants introduces himself as Astarion—with a little bow. No translation on that one. So Shadowheart really is rocking around with the gothest name you’ve ever heard.

Good for her.

Everyone properly named and all, you then make the mistake of trying to figure out where y’all landed. And you realize that listening to Mu—Gale—when you couldn’t understand him made for a pleasant background noise. But catching the torrent of words that pours out of him all translated is an entirely different matter. You stop paying attention about a minute and a half into the geographical specifics going back to naming conventions from five dynasties ago.

He doesn’t stop talking.

Previous - Index - Next Chapter

[untitled-smp]

Broadcast #05 - Moth - WZRD Verdigris Radio

In the heart of the Corroded faction, an enigmatic man, better known as the Wizard, releases his first radio broadcast to the world. We hope you’ll become a listener.

This week’s song is “Rose” by The Oh Hellos

< =o= >

WZRD Verdigris Radio is written, produced, and edited by @theecryptiid.

The Wizard is voiced by Cass theecryptiid.

< =o= >

[Previous | Next]

[Transcript below the cut]

Good afternoon listeners! Spring is upon us, and that means planting season. Hopefully the tunes and such have been a good way to keep spirits high as we begin our long days in the fields. For those of you who take the train line from your sleepy little towns to the various locations, I have a message from train line architect Joco about the state of them this week. 

"Over the course of the next month, the main rail line and extending branches will be experiencing sectional closures for renovation. These closures only affect actual use of the rails, horses and walking will still be safe throughout the lines. Please take caution when using carts on the line, and keep in mind how to quickly and safely exit the cart in case of emergency. If you see me napping on the support structures, I am simply testing them and not sleeping on the job. Thank you, and always remember to shake out your boots before going inside."

So yes, please heed that warning, it would be no good to have some poor soul accidentally fling themselves off the line in a wayward minecart. 

I had the chance to converse with one of the new folks in Corroded the other day, a fellow by the name of Achilles. Being so new, and as I quickly learned, newer in fact, than some of the others, it was a bit confused about where it was and what was happening. The two of us had a good conversation over this imported coffee I bought while in Wisteria the other week. Seems strange things are happening again, but according to what Achilles told me, this time it might not have anything to do with the Unknown we all know so well. 

He told me about a place much different than our own, somewhere where death is not forgiven quite like it is here. It’s called Caduceus, I think, if I’m remembering it correctly, like the staff. Death is eh…more permanent there than it is here, things are different. The world works differently. To make a long story very short, it’s not supposed to be here, so it was wanting some help to get home. Though I can’t claim to be much more than a friendly ear, I did spend the majority of my adolescence studying things like this, so I gave advice the best I could. We came to a conclusion in the end that will hopefully allow him to get back home, he just needs to collect some items to build something of importance. 

In talking with Achilles I came to realize something, we as the Corroded faction are a bit splintered as of late. I know we are people without laws, and even mention of any type of governing body scares off most folk out here, but I am personally missing the feeling of community. So I was thinking, there’s a lot of gunpowder and dye lying around here in Verdigris, and it’s been a while since we’ve had really any sort of fun celebration, so why not hold a festival at some point in the future? Lights, colors, sounds, celebration, and more importantly lots of good food. It’d be nice, get everyone together, and try and build up some of the community we lost after the previous world. 

I’ll make some sort of community board in Verdigris and leave a post or something up about it if people have any thoughts. Well, anyway, here’s our next song for today. Take it away!

[transhawks]

Hello! First things first, I'd like to thank you for the amazing meta you posted. It's a wonderful insight on both the dynamic between Twice and Hawks and Japanese culture with confessiona, so different from Western culture.

Second - I had to read the meta twice (pun intended) before coming with a few questions I hope you won't mind answering. I think you explained everything perfectly, so they are mostly me... speculating? Drawing conclusions? I don't know.

1. So, the "confession scene" is between Jin and Keigo. The latter, however, is seen as Hawks in that scene from Jin's perspective - as the hero, not the human underneath. You elaborated on this clearly. This arc plays out recalling past actions from previous arcs, and all the characters need closure in one way or another. I am also referring to Keigo, in chapter 299, mentioning how someone's true nature is revealed when pushed into a corned - but Keigo wasn't acting on his nature when killing Twice, he was pushing down his sentiments to carrying on his "duty"; that, at least in how I see it, was the mask, Hawks', nature (nurture?).

You also expandend on Hawks and his issues with trusting others, be it from hero work to emotions, and how trust was a core part of Twice and Hawks' dynamic - or, better, the lack of trust. This made me think of Tokoyami reminding Hawks, during the fight vs. All for One, he can trust him and Hawks' shocked expression.

Another conflict between Twice and Hawks appears inevitable at this point, even if Hawks tries to avoid it - so I was thinking, would it be possible we get a recall of the "confession", and actually see both the characters' natures this time? Is it possible we'll get finally a show of genuine trust? It's late for Hawks to save Twice at this point, he failed for all the reasons you stated, he can't go back and it's not his role; I, however, see BNHA as a very hopeful story, and maybe I'm being too wishful on this one, but I think a good cloruse for both characters is reaching an understanding that wasn't there - not as hero or villain, but as people, humans, bare in front of each other.

2. Just a curiosity: if I remember correctly, you mentioned a few times how important it is to use the characters' names and aliases and how you can play with them and their meaning. You did this in the meta talking about Hawks and Keigo, so I'd like to ask - was the switch from using Keigo to using Hawks in the last part (starting with "Hawks is not a high-schooler") and switching from Jin to Twice, intentional? Maybe I'm reading a bit too much into it, but it came across as premeditative. Though, I tend to focus too much into details sometimes, to the point I might miss the bigger picture, which... my bad.

Thought I had more to ask, but again, you elabrorated on the topic so well there's not much to ask about - at least not from me. Most of the questions I had were already answered in deep details.

Again, if you wish to not answer, especially the first question since it's more a bit of speculation and you might not like to give possible conclusions before the story ends, it's completely fine.

Have a nice day/evening!

Hi, thank you for the thoughtful ask! Let's get into it - because I know that 6,500 word meta is a lot and something to chew over, so I really don't mind discussing it.

I am also referring to Keigo, in chapter 299, mentioning how someone's true nature is revealed when pushed into a corned - but Keigo wasn't acting on his nature when killing Twice, he was pushing down his sentiments to carrying on his "duty"; that, at least in how I see it, was the mask, Hawks', nature (nurture?).

I am of two minds on this - I strongly believe Hawks is mentally ill, and repressing it, so his "actual" nature is a bit lost to us unless we see through the crops. However, you're right in that Keigo was actively going against his own nature and sense of self to kill Jin.

That’s the story Hawks and Twice are being used to tell by Horikoshi! To kill Jin, Hawks had to cast away sentiment, feelings, compassion for Jin, and so he did, at the same time sacrificed his own humanity to do so.

The kind of heroism that asks Hawks to do these things is inhumane. It’s the kind that expects people to kill the child in themselves, kill the friend, kill the compassion, and kill the person to become what it believes is a hero. 

A snippet from one of my metas on this topic - that Jin's name meaning humanity, that Jin constantly being shown as so utterly human, was a good way to introduce this idea that the "heroism" that created Hawks was inhumane. Keigo was just a boy who wanted to help people, after all.

I do think there will be some closure with Keigo and Jin. While I foresee a breakdown first for Keigo, I have a feeling Keigo and his clones will be used at the end to turn a tide for the heroes, completing the "all became heroes" aspect we're clearly headed for. I do think Keigo apologizing, admitting he was wrong, and probably reiterating what he actually felt is the best possible end to this arc. Stripped of all his protections, down to his "truth", I think Keigo can actually come across sincere this time around. When Jin and him speak not as Hero and Villain but as just two men.

You did this in the meta talking about Hawks and Keigo, so I'd like to ask - was the switch from using Keigo to using Hawks in the last part (starting with "Hawks is not a high-schooler") and switching from Jin to Twice, intentional? Maybe I'm reading a bit too much into it, but it came across as premeditative.

Congratulations! You're the first person who has ever noticed I do this in several years. I can't say I managed to not slip up in the meta, but yes, it's absolutely premediated. I make a clear distinction when I wish to speak about Hawks and Keigo in meta AND ESPECIALLY fic. In fic I'm extremely careful with what I call Keigo and when I make the switch and honestly use it as a literary device - for example when Hawks grows so disillusioned with heroism in Chapter 2 of my fic Minutes, I made the switch to Keigo. In meta, I don't do it as much, but I did it more this time around. Like I said, this meta was really special. I've wanted to write it since Spring 2020. The emphasis on Hawks and Keigo as separate identities is central to this idea of who Hawks really is, so I decided to explore it.

Thanks again for the ask. I'm really pleased with how much you noticed!