#quite a few flyers in the mix

[vnti-vntiety-recs]

Chasing Shadows

★ PAIRING: Frat!Jeno x Goth!Reader

☆ WORD COUNT: 1K

★ GENRE(S): Strangers to ???

☆ SUMMARY: You meet a lost frat boy at a rave, and even though your interaction is brief, you leave a strong impression on him. Your playful banter and mysterious smile spark his interest.

★ ☆ WARNINGS: Mentions of drinking.

☆★ NOTES: This one is for my fellow alternative nctizens. Gotta get some representation in there for us. Feedback appretatied!

You loved your platform boots, but they made it incredibly challenging to traverse the woods. You almost twisted your ankle a few times while searching for the party deeper among the trees. Raves were your escape—you relished losing yourself in the music and dancing the night away. However, reaching some of those remote locations could be an ordeal. Tonight's rave was nestled in the heart of the forest, and with every step, the choice of wearing your Demonia boots was beginning to feel like a mistake. Just as you were starting to lose hope, you caught sight of the twinkling lights strung between the trees, guiding you toward the designated dance floor and DJ booth.

You were supposed to meet a few friends here, but they hadn’t arrived yet. Still, you were perfectly content dancing alone while waiting for them. A little tipsy, you lost yourself in the rhythm, until you lost your breath. Your drunken mind urged you to explore the area. You anticipated encountering a few oddities in the middle of the woods, but what you stumbled upon in a small clearing not too far from the dance floor was the strangest sight you had ever seen.

In the midst of the pulsating beats and swirling lights of the rave, you stumbled upon a most peculiar sight: a frat boy, looking completely out of place. You raised an eyebrow, certain those guys wouldn't dare be caught dead in the “weird” crowd.

“You lost?” you asked with a smirk.

He looked up from his phone, shuffling nervously as if the forest floor might swallow him whole. “No, I’m certain it’s around here. I’m looking for a party.”

“Well, there’s a rave deeper in the woods,” you said, stepping closer, your curiosity piqued. “But it doesn’t seem like that’s what you’re after.”

He hesitated, glancing back at the trees as if they might whisper the answer. “Hmm, that could be it? I don’t know; my brothers sent me this location… said it was supposed to be a frat party.”

“So, you’re lost,” you declared with a hint of mischief in your voice. You took another step closer, studying him with intrigued eyes. “What’s your name?”

“Jeno,” he replied, a mixture of desperation and hope flashing across his face.

The first thing you noticed was how strikingly handsome he was, but there was something else about him that caught your eye—how… normal he looked? "Normal" wasn't quite the right word, as he certainly surpassed any conventional level of attractiveness. Yet Jeno definitely didn’t fit into your crowd. He was the epitome of a textbook frat boy, and it was almost jarring to see him here among the eclectic chaos of the rave.

Jeno wasn’t your type at all. You were drawn to the kind of guys who carried an intriguing emptiness in their gaze, a flicker of something dark swirling just beneath the surface. Jeno was the complete opposite of that. He looked like a golden retriever—innocent and eager, full of boundless energy—but for some inexplicable reason, you felt a magnetic pull, an itch to reach out and play with this unexpectedly charming puppy.

“Can I see the flyer?” you ask, and he eagerly thrusts his phone in your direction. As you scan it, your brow furrows. “This says Friday… today’s Saturday.” You meet his gaze, the truth dawning on him. “I think you missed it.”

The expression that washes over his face is priceless, a mix of shock and disbelief, and you have to stifle a laugh. Poor guy, you think—he's had enough misfortune for one night; the last thing you want is to laugh in his face.

He exhales a sigh of disappointment, his shoulders drooping for a moment before he lights up again. “But there’s a party tonight, right? Might as well go!”

“Well, sorry if this sounds rude,” you say, eyeing his frat boy attire that looks like a glaring neon sign in the dark sea of heavy silver jewelry and smudged eyeliner around you, “but this doesn’t exactly look like your kind of scene.” You raise an eyebrow, amused by the stark contrast he presents amidst the crowd

“Beer is beer,” he shrugs, that easy grin still plastered on his face. “Plus, you guys are cool. I really like your makeup.” His compliment feels genuine, and despite the ongoing chaos of the party around you, his enthusiasm softens the edges of the night.

He was sweet.

You take a moment to appreciate the contrast between his sunny disposition and the heavy, ghoulish makeup you’ve gone for tonight. With your lips tinted black, you can't help but return his smile, the boldness of your look amplifying the brightness of your teeth. “I could do yours sometime,” you flirt, the words rolling off your tongue with an unexpected confidence.

“I really think the black lipstick would look good on me,” Jeno comments, that smirk never leaving his face. He’s either brave or wildly oblivious, but the way he leans into the banter makes your heart flutter.

“You think so? Only one way to find out,” you tease, letting a playful lilt escape your voice, hoping he would get the hint.

Instead of stepping back, he crowds a little closer, closing the distance between you two. He leans down, his eyes locking onto yours with surprising intensity. “Right here,” he says, pointing to his cheek, as if he's inviting you to paint your work of art on him.

A spark ignites between you, an unexpected thrill bubbling beneath the surface, and you can’t help but smile wider. “Alright, but you have to promise me you’ll rock it,” you reply.

You smile and gently cup his face with both hands, feeling a thrill course through you as you lean in to plant a kiss on his cheek. Pulling back slightly to admire your handiwork, you can’t help but agree—your black lipstick looks stunning against his skin.

With a playful glint in your eye, you lean in again and give him a quick peck on the lips, leaving your mark there as well. You pull back and watch as he chases your lips; a wicked smile spreads across your face at the sight of him.

“Hmm… I’m not sure it really suits you,” you tease, using your thumb to smudge the imprint you left on his lips, giving them a slightly tousled, used look.

Finally, you let him go and take a step back, reveling in the way he stands there, utterly stunned.

“Where are you going?” he calls out, his voice cutting through the pulsating bass of the party as he watches your retreating figure.

“I’m waiting on my friends; I need to head back,” you reply, glancing back at him over your shoulder.

“What’s your name?” he asks, his curiosity evident as you walk away.

“I'll see you around,” you call back, a mysterious smile playing on your lips, leaving him intrigued as you blend back into the lively throng of the party.

[reallygroovyninja]

Empty Nest

The front door creaked gently as Clarke pushed it open, stepping into the familiar quiet of their home. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm, dappled light across the entryway. She let out a long breath, setting down her keys on the small table by the door.  

Her fingers sifted through the stack of mail she had picked up — bills, a couple of promotional flyers, and a postcard from their son’s college. She held the postcard a moment longer, tracing her finger over the bright, cheerful image on the front before placing it aside.  

"Lexa?" Clarke called out, her voice echoing slightly in the empty space. There was no response, just the soft hum of the house. She frowned slightly, moving further into the living room.  

The cushions on the couch were neatly arranged, just as she had left them that morning. Clarke's gaze swept across the room, the familiar decor somehow accentuating the silence. "Lexa, are you home?" she called again, a hint of concern threading through her tone.  

With a growing sense of unease, Clarke began to walk through the house. The kitchen was pristine, the countertops clear except for a vase of fresh flowers that Lexa must have put out. Clarke paused, admiring them for a brief moment, before continuing her search.  

She moved down the hallway, her footsteps soft on the hardwood floor. The door to their home office was ajar, and Clarke peered inside. The computer was off, the chair pushed in. No Lexa.  

Finally, she reached the door to their bedroom. It was closed, which was unusual for this time of day. "Lexa?" Clarke’s voice was softer now, tinged with a mix of worry and confusion. She reached out, her hand hesitating briefly before turning the knob and pushing the door open.  

The door swung open quietly, revealing their bedroom bathed in the soft afternoon light. Clarke's eyes immediately found Lexa, sitting on the edge of their bed. Her posture was slumped, a stark contrast to her usual upright, composed demeanor. Her eyes were downcast, fixated on her hands folded in her lap.  

Clarke's heart clenched at the sight. The air in the room felt heavy, laden with an unspoken sadness. She stepped inside, closing the door gently behind her. "Lexa?" she asked, her voice a mix of concern and caution.  

Lexa didn't look up. The silence stretched between them, filled with a thousand unasked questions. Clarke moved closer, taking tentative steps until she was just a few feet away from the bed. "Hey," she said softly, trying to catch Lexa's eye. "What's wrong?"  

There was a palpable tension in Lexa's shoulders, a visible effort in the way she kept her gaze averted. Clarke could almost feel the weight of Lexa's thoughts, the burden of whatever was pressing down on her.  

Clarke sat down on the bed, close enough to be there for Lexa, but giving her space. She resisted the urge to reach out, to bridge the gap with a touch. Instead, she waited, her own heart pounding in her chest.  

Finally, Lexa lifted her head, her eyes meeting Clarke's. There was a depth of emotion in her gaze, a mixture of weariness and something else Clarke couldn't quite identify. But Lexa remained silent, the words she needed to say trapped behind a barrier Clarke couldn't see.  

The room was quiet, save for the distant sounds of life outside their window. Clarke watched Lexa, a growing sense of helplessness settling over her. She wanted to help, to understand, but the distance between them felt like a chasm too wide to cross with just words.  

"Lexa, whatever it is, we can... we can talk about it," Clarke said, her voice a gentle plea. But Lexa just continued to sit there, her eyes now fixed somewhere beyond Clarke, lost in thoughts she wasn't ready to share.  

After a few moments, heavy with silence, Lexa's voice finally broke through, quiet yet laden with a weight that immediately captured Clarke's full attention.  

"I don't know," Lexa began, her voice barely above a whisper, "I don't know if I'm still in love with you." Her words hung in the air, stark and raw. She paused, taking a shaky breath. "I love you, Clarke, I do. But... I'm just not sure it's the same as it used to be."  

Clarke felt as if the ground had shifted beneath her. She struggled to process Lexa's words, each one echoing painfully in her mind. Her heart raced, a mix of fear, confusion, and a deep, aching sadness.  

"But... how?" Clarke managed to say, her voice trembling. "What changed, Lexa?"  

Lexa looked up, her eyes meeting Clarke's. There was a vulnerability there that Clarke had rarely seen. "I don't know when it happened, or how," Lexa said, her voice steadier but still tinged with uncertainty. "It's not something I decided. It's like... slowly realizing that the way I feel about you has shifted. It's more like a deep care, a respect, but the... the passion, the in-love part, it's not like before."  

Clarke felt a lump forming in her throat, her mind racing with memories, questions, doubts. She wanted to reach out, to find a way to fix this, to turn back time to when things were simpler, happier.  

"But we've been through so much together, Lexa. We've built a life, a family," Clarke said, her voice laced with desperation.  

"I know, and that's what makes this so hard," Lexa replied, her expression pained. "I've been trying to understand it myself, to figure out if it's just a phase, or if... if this is really how I feel."  

The room was filled with a heavy stillness, the kind that comes after a storm, when the world is still reeling from the impact. Clarke felt numb, unable to fully grasp the reality that the person she loved, the person she had spent two decades with, was questioning their love.  

"Is there... is there someone else?" Clarke asked, the question slipping out before she could stop it.  

"No, no, it's not about someone else. It's about us, about me," Lexa assured quickly, her eyes earnest. "I'm just trying to be honest with you, and with myself. I don't want to keep pretending that everything is okay when it's not."  

Clarke nodded, a silent tear rolling down her cheek. She knew this was just the beginning of a long, difficult conversation, maybe even a series of conversations. But in that moment, all she could feel was the heartbreaking realization that the love of her life was slipping away, and she didn't know how to hold on.  

Clarke sat there, motionless, the words echoing in her mind like a relentless tide. She stared at Lexa, searching her face for something, anything, that might suggest this was just a momentary doubt, a fleeting fear. But Lexa's expression, open and pained, told a different story.  

"This can't be happening," Clarke murmured, her voice a mix of disbelief and despair. Deep down, she had sensed the growing chasm between them, the subtle changes in Lexa's demeanor, the quiet evenings that had become too common. Yet, acknowledging these silent warnings felt like giving in to a reality she wasn't ready to accept.  

"Clarke," Lexa reached out tentatively, her hand hovering in the space between them, unsure. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could make this easier."  

But Clarke couldn't focus on Lexa's words of consolation. Her mind was reeling, grappling with the realization that the foundation of their life together was not as solid as she had believed. "How long have you felt this way?" she asked, her voice breaking.  

"I don't know," Lexa admitted, her voice heavy with regret. "It's been growing for a while. I tried to push it away, thinking it was just a phase. I didn't want to hurt you, or our family."  

Clarke felt a deep, hollow ache in her chest, as if the ground beneath her had given way. She had imagined many challenges they might face, but the thought of losing Lexa's love had never crossed her mind. "So, what does this mean for us?" she asked, the fear of the answer making her voice quiver.  

Lexa sighed, a sound filled with sorrow. "I don't know, Clarke. I'm so confused. I don't want to lose you or the life we've built, but I can't keep pretending everything is the same."  

Tears welled up in Clarke's eyes, blurring her vision. She had always prided herself on being strong, on being able to face any challenge head-on. But this, the potential unraveling of their two-decade-long love, felt like an insurmountable obstacle.  

"I can't believe this is happening," Clarke whispered, her voice barely audible. The life they had carefully crafted together, the dreams they had shared, now felt like distant memories, slipping through her fingers like grains of sand.  

As Lexa reached out, finally bridging the gap to gently touch Clarke's hand, Clarke pulled away, not out of anger, but from a need to protect herself from the pain that the touch now represented. She needed time to process, to understand how the love that had been her anchor was now the source of her deepest heartache.  

In the silence that followed, filled with unspoken fears and uncertainties, the realization settled in: their journey ahead would be fraught with challenges, and the future they had envisioned together was no longer a certainty.  

Clarke felt a suffocating tightness in the room, the walls seeming to close in around her with each passing second. The air was thick with the weight of Lexa's confession, and Clarke found herself struggling to breathe, to think clearly. She needed space, air, anything but the oppressive atmosphere of the room that had once been a sanctuary for them both.  

"I need to think," Clarke said abruptly, her voice strained. She stood up, her movements rigid and mechanical. "I need to process this... I can't stay here right now."  

[seiunzzz]

XDINARY HEROES AS AESTHETICS.

🌐 seya : before we dive into an amazing world of web-aesthetics, there are few things that i’d like to point out. first of all, i chose aesthetic for each member based solely on my associations with their vibe. meaning: i associate the vibe of aesthetic with them, rather than the history behind it. secondly, some of the information was gathered from such sites as:

https://cari.institute/aesthetics.

https://www.are.na.

https://eyeondesign.aiga.org.

now that we got that out of the way — enjoy!

𝐠𝐨𝐨 𝐠𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐥 : 𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐊𝐈𝐓𝐒𝐂𝐇

“baby boomer & silent generation revival of various 1940s-1950s cultural iconography, design, and kitsch associated with diner, drive-in's and malt shop culture. jukeboxes, poodle skirts, 1950s advertising kitsch, neon, chromed-out automobiles, metallic paneling, 'american graffiti'-style fonts.” — ©️ cari institute.

diner kitsch – aesthetic familiar to everyone, yet not that many people know it’s actual name (or that it is, in fact, an aesthetic!). checkered floors and walls, milkshakes, burgers, neon signs and, of course, waitresses on roller skates — these things define diner kitsch. originating from 1950s, when diners were seen as a place, where you could enjoy a hearty comfort food and have a good time with your family or friends it was finally revived in our years through media that depicts mainly high schoolers or travelers of any sorts, going out for a dinner.

🌐 seya : i chose diner kitsch for gunil because he is literally the embodiment of a nerdy boy who would definetely hang out with his group of friends in a place like that. doing homework, reading comics, getting cookies on the house because of how often they visit a diner… 🥤🍔 yum!

𝐤𝐢𝐦 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐮 : 𝐍𝐄𝐎𝐍 𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐑

“the term neon-noir is a film genre, but it can also represent an aesthetic. this aesthetic includes a brooding, mysterious, cyberpunk, and dangerous atmosphere. the neon-noir aesthetic can be related somewhat to the sibling-genre neo-noir (without the “n”), including avant-garde fashion, femme fatale style, dark clothing, technology, and neon lights.” — ©️ wendy zhou (from her blog wendyzhou.se)

neon-noir (also known as future-, cyber-, tech-noir) was born in the film industry around 1980s, when sci-fi was blooming yet again. not so popular in web, it is still quite known in gamer community, thanks to such games like “cyberpunk 2077”, “anno mutationem”, “blade runner” etc. this aesthetic is mixing old-school noir with futuristic elements, giving it a whole new look. neon signs, robots, androids, futuristic technology are going hand in hand with good old detective genre, accented shadows, rain and fog.

🌐 seya : i find this aesthetic to be the most suiting to jungsu. i can imagine him in this type of setting so well and i’d actually like to read or even write something, where he is portrayed as a detective in a mysterious and futuristic setting!

𝐤𝐰𝐚𝐤 𝐣𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐨𝐤 : 𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐃𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐈𝐗

“rule-bending, medium-blending "instagram grunge". full of horror vacui, chrome type, oddball textures and self-referentialism.” — ©️ cari institute.

originated in the 1990s and revived in 2010s, acidgrafix (also known as: acid graphics and acid design) aesthetic is mainly seen nowadays on the covers of music albums. bright colors (usually red, orange and neon green, neon yellow, neon purple), wireframes, distorted images, liquid metal forms – all of these are key elements of acidgrafix. the term acid, as you might’ve already guessed, came from the acid house and rave culture. it first appeared on flyers, used to promote and to invite people to raves. smiley faces (of course, resembling nothing else but the actual drug), op-art-esque patterns, sci-fi futurism – all of these were such an eye candy for party-goers, that soon enough this style overtook the music industry. after being long forgotten in the 00s, acidgrafix finally found it’s new home in instagram, where musicians would design their insta-stories and albums with all of the key details of this aesthetic.

🌐 seya : aaand this is the part that i was worried about the most. this aesthetic took it’s origins not from the best culture, but i still find it’s style being quite suiting for gaon. it’s bright, innovative and bold – just like he is!

𝐨𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐦𝐢𝐧 : 𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐏𝐔𝐍𝐊

"the millennial and gen-z iteration of edgy grunge aesthetics, associated closely with "pop punk" and the store hot topic." — ©️ cari institute.

*puts a cd in the drive, "girlfriend" by avril lavigne starts playing* now that we're in the mood, let us find out what the hell is a teen punk. the dirty, the angry, the free and THE wild – this aesthetic conveys the whole essence of the rebellious period that every teenager eventually goes through. you can usually see this movement being expressed through clothes, style, make up and, most importantly, music, rather then the way you could draw something or edit a photo. mainly seem in early 00s, teen punk found it's new home in hearts of people through nostalgia that overtook us all as soon as pandemic started. this aesthetic combines different colors like foggy green and blue, obviously black, red and pink (yes, the tricolor of emo aesthetic is very important here). essential details of teen punk are denim jackets, torn jeans, big ass t-shirts with logos of musical groups, fishnets and those humongous military boots that everyone used to wear. the pioneers of this movement are mainly musical artists, like the infamous avril lavigne, all-time favorites my chemical romance, green day, paramore etc.

🌐 seya : now i need you to look me dead in the eyes and say that THIS isn't his aesthetic. bro literally dresses as if hot topic was more grunge and still managed to survive.

𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐲𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐣𝐮𝐧 : 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐓𝐈 𝐏𝐎𝐏

"first wave of corporate appropriation of graffiti culture. typically includes urban streetscapes & iconography contemporary to the time period (eg. trash cans, brick walls, chain link fencing, street lamps, sidewalks, industrial elements, general 'urban decay'). it's also associated with that eras' portrayal of street, hip hop, & punk culture." — ©️ cari institute.

disclaimer: this part is mostly retelling of an article from this site: https://www.grafftergallery.com/2023/08/graffiti-pop-art-vivid-intersection-of.html | i really don't think that i would be able to express myself better than they already did, so let me give the credit to the rightful authors!

this aesthetic is a firm proof of the dynamic between street culture and the world of art that was born in early 80s and was especially popular till the 00s. bright colors, bold splashes of different patterns, provocative slogans, popular singers, models, tv personalities – it screams fight for the freedom of self expression. this movement is first and foremost was heavily affected by socio-political issues, causing street artists to voice their concerns through art. graffiti itself is a rebellious act (you're literally damaging private property) and when you mix this with media icons and pop culture that was thriving, you're guaranteed to have all the attention that you need.

🌐 seya : i feel like this aesthetic really suits jun han because in my eyes he is one of the most brave idols in terms of expressing himself through his style and art.

𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐨𝐧 : 𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐑𝐎 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐌

"let's take a look at what is included in such aesthetics as retro-surrealism (also known as airbrush surrealism and included in the subgenres of retro-futurism), shall we?"

retro is an imitation or conscious derivative of a lifestyle, trend, or art form from history, included in music, fashion, or looks. the retro art movement always invariably revives and in one way or another refers to everything that happened in the past. surrealism is an art direction that always strives to revolutionize human experience. it balances a rational vision of life with one that asserts the power of the unconscious and dreams. combining these two trends of media art, we get abstract paintings made in the style of sci-fi comics from the 70s-90s. very often they feature elements such as musical instruments, outer space and electronic objects such as telephones, radios, televisions, etc. usually such paintings are airbrushed, which gives them a slightly hazy, matte effect, typical for surrealism (promotes immersion into the unconscious me thinks!).

🌐 seya : i love, love, LOVE this one so much, i just had to give it to my favorite boy jooyeon! i feel like this one suits jooyeon just because he looks like that one dude obsessed with weird ass comic books, always going around with his old mp3 player and vibing to daft punk bangers. sorry not sorry, no one is getting this image out of my head.

[rainisawriter]

Stood Up – Reo (PSF #5)

Ficography

Genre: Fluff

Prompt: Have your characters share the last table at a café. (@flufftober)

Word Count: 3,157

Pairing: Reo x Reader

World: Generations

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

A flyer was slammed down on the counter atop the magazine you were reading, prompting you to raise a brow in question at the offending party. “I’m working, go away.”

Your older brother scoffed, looking around the empty bookstore. “Bitch, the place is empty and you’re not even paying attention.”

“What’s your point?”

Kai slapped his hand on the flyer a few times, giving you a pointed look. “You have to go with me.”

You flicked his hand so you could read it, expecting it to be a concert only to find out it was for a recently opened café. “The hell is this?”

“Can you not read? It’s clearly a flyer for a café.”

“Yeah I got that part. Why do I have to go with you?”

A streak of pink crossed his cheeks and he pouted, acting shy. “Well, you see… the barista is super cute…”

“Okay? What does that have to do with me?”

He scowled in frustration. “I obviously can’t go alone, it’ll look weird.”

“Don’t you have friends?” 

“All of them ditched me to spend time with their girlfriends. I’m the only one who’s single!” He cried out, startling the little old lady that had just entered the store.

You offered her an apologetic smile before scowling at your brother. “Maybe because you can’t act civilized for more than two minutes.”

“That’s rude,” he pouted. “Come on, it’ll be fun!”

“I highly doubt that. Every minute spent with you makes me lose brain cells and I don’t have many of those left.”

“You’re so rude. That’s why you’re still single.” 

“I’m single because I want to be,” you replied indignantly. “I’m already surrounded by idiots like you, I don’t need to add another one to that mix.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

You glanced to the side, seeing the elderly woman slowly making her way toward the counter. “Go away, I’m working. Shoo!”

“I’m not an insect.”

“You’re as annoying as one.”

“Rude!” He glanced at the woman, taking notice of her slow speed and the distance left for her to cover. He quickly leaned toward you. “I’ll pay.”

“Why the fuck didn’t you start with that?” You hissed softly, not wanting the woman to overhear you. “I’ll do it, now shoo!”

He stuck his tongue out at you, giving the woman a friendly smile when she finally reached the counter.

You shook your head at his antics before smiling at the woman. “Good morning. Did you find what you were looking for?”

“I did, thank you, dear. Your boyfriend is quite cute,” she giggled, a gleam in her eye.

The thought made you feel sick to your stomach. “Ah, no. He’s my brother.”

“Oh, my, I’m so sorry!” She covered her mouth, looking embarrassed. “You look nothing alike!”

“Different dads,” you replied, making the woman click her tongue in disapproval. It was the normal reaction that you got from older folk, though she was nice enough not to go on a rant about it.

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

You stuffed your hands into the hoodie of your pocket when the cold autumn wind blew. The sidewalk was littered with leaves, each one a vibrant orange or brown. You even spied a couple red ones that were, in your opinion, the prettiest ones.

The café was packed, making you click your tongue in annoyance, leaning against the railing that separated the street and the sidewalk. You had arrived right on time but Kai was known to be late to everything he did so you weren’t surprised that he wasn’t there yet.

You shot him a quick message to let him know you had arrived before amusing yourself with a YouTube video. People came and went, looking at you strangely as they passed. One of the employees had taken notice of you, as well.

“Excuse me,” he called kindly, offering you a smile. “Are you alright?”

“Huh?” You glanced up at him, rubbing the back of your neck. “Ah, yeah. I’m just waiting for someone.”

“Would you like to wait inside? It’s getting pretty chilly out here.”

You glanced at the window, seeing the sea of people sitting inside. “I’m okay, thanks.”

“Sure, sorry to bother you.” He smiled, bowing at you before returning inside.

You glanced at the time again and scowled in annoyance. It had been just over thirty minutes. Where in the hell was he? You dialed his number, suppressing a shiver when the cold glass touched your ear. It rang and rang and rang before finally going to voicemail. 

You briefly wondered if maybe something had happened to him, but you knew he wasn’t a reliable person at all. He probably just forgot and he would suddenly remember, showing up out of breath and begging for forgiveness. You had decided you would guilt trip him into buying you lunch tomorrow, as well, for the trouble.

20 minutes later

You sighed, sliding down until you were squatting on the ground. The wind blew heavily, making you hug yourself for warmth. The café was still filled with people, mostly couples or families.

“I’m gonna kill him,” you muttered under your breath.

40 minutes later

“Mrow~“

You glanced to the side, seeing a black cat sitting at the edge of the alley, staring at you with wide, unblinking golden eyes. “Aww, hey there little guy. Come here.” You waved your hand at him but he didn’t budge so you stood up, shaking your legs to regain feeling in them.

“I won’t hurt you,” you promised, slowly approaching him. When you reached down, he suddenly turned feral, hissing loudly. You didn’t pull back fast enough, his claws raking across the top of your hand. “Motherfucker.”

Three red lines appeared against your skin, beads of blood rushing to the surface.

You hung your head with a sigh. “Well, at least I’m up to date on my tetanus shot…”

1 hour later

The sky was slowly darkening, dark clouds rolling in from the east. The wind had picked up, as well, and you resorted to pacing back and forth to try and keep warm. Your phone was held to your ear, seeming to be ringing without an end.

“That dirty bastard,” you muttered when it went to his voicemail for the tenth time. “You better hope you’re already dead because I’m gonna kill you!”

The sudden yell startled the man who was approaching the café’s door, making him pause and look at you with wide eyes. It was all you could see because of the cap and mask he wore.

You offered him a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of your neck as you bowed. “Sorry…”

He said nothing, simply turning and entering the café. 

You sighed, finally deciding that enough was enough. You were going home and he was going to die the second you saw him. You barely made it five steps before thunder boomed overhead, rattling the windows of the café. Within seconds, the sky opened up and you scrambled for the café door, shivering as the rain soaked through your hoodie.

The man from before looked at you with a frown. “I’m so sorry, but we just gave away the last available table.”

You held back a groan, hugging yourself tightly as you glanced over your shoulder to peer outside. The rain was coming down heavily. “Great,” you muttered, running a hand through your wet hair.

He looked you up and down before glancing at the rain, taking pity on you. “Wait here a moment, okay?”

‘As if I have a choice.’ You nodded at him, assuming that he was going to grab you an umbrella but he didn’t go to the back of the café. 

The man approached the table directly to the left of the door, speaking to the man with the mask covering the lower half of his face. The two spoke for a moment before the employee pointed at you. 

Embarrassment filled you as you thought about how you must look, shivering as water dripped from your clothes. He probably already thought little of you because of your outburst, there was no way he would –

“Great news! That nice gentleman that took the last table is willing to share with you.”

Well, shit. You glanced at the rain again, wondering if the rain was really worse than the awkwardness you were sure to feel sitting with this stranger. You were already freezing, though, and you couldn’t afford to get sick so you followed the man over to the table.

“What can I get you, hun? Something to warm you up?”

“Do you have hot chocolate?”

“We sure do. Be right back,” smiled the employee, patting your shoulder.

You nodded, turning your attention to the man before bowing your head. “Thank you.”

He returned the nod but said nothing, returning his attention to the laptop that sat open in front of him.

You tugged off the wet hoodie, suppressing a shiver as you placed it against the window, not wanting to wet the floor more than you already had. You knew you shouldn’t have let Kai talk you into this. He was flaky at the best of times and this wasn’t the first time he had made plans with you only to forget or get distracted.

“Idiot,” you muttered under your breath, glaring at the window.

The man glanced over at you, his eyes falling to the long sleeved shirt you were wearing. “You like High&Low?”

Your eyes snapped to his, excitement filling you as you nodded. “Yeah, it’s my favorite series! You’ve seen in?”

“Ah, well… something like that,” he replied, scratching his cheek with his index finger.

You tilted your head to the side in confusion but before you could question what he meant, the employee set a mug of cocoa in front of you, tiny marshmallows covering the top. “Thank you.”

“Would you like something to eat, too?”

“No, I’m okay.”

“Sure thing. Can I refill your coffee?”

“Yes, please.” The masked man held out his cup so the employee could take it, then he turned back to you. “Which group is your favorite?”

“That’s a tough one,” you hummed, cupping the warm mug with both hands. “All of them are cool. It’s a close race between Daruma and the Rude Boys but I think I’ve gotta pick the Rude Boys. The way they do parkour while incorporating it into fighting is so cool!”

He chuckled, eyes lighting up with amusement. “Yes, they’re pretty awesome.”

“They make it look so easy,” you shook your head, brow furrowed. “I tried to copy this move that P did once. He made it look like child’s play but I swear I almost died. Broke my arm in three places.”

“Ouch,” he winced, folding his arms over his chest. “You should never attempt what you see in movies. They’re performed by professionals under the supervision of professionals. Doing so on your own is extremely dangerous.”

“Yes, mom,” you teased, bringing the mug to your lips.

He chuckled at the comment. “Sorry, I’m just passionate about these things.”

“I can tell. What about you? Who’s your favorite group?”

He pretended to think on it for a moment. “I’ll also choose the Rude Boys. They have a special place in my heart.”

“Yeah, I get that. Man, they really did that group dirty.” You shook your head in disapproval. “They deserved so much better. Poor Smoky. Poor Takeshi.”

He looked at you curiously, leaning forward on the table. “Why poor Takeshi?”

“Well, I mean, his best friend died and he was forced to pick up the slack left behind. Smoky is one of those one-of-a-kind characters, ya know? No matter how good someone is, no one can take his place. I imagine Takeshi must be feeling so much pressure taking over as leader, feeling as if he has to fill Smoky’s shoes but also knowing he never could. No one can.”

He looked at you in surprise, warmth filling him as a smile came to his lips, hidden behind the black mask. “Yeah… yeah, you’re right. Is he your favorite character?”

“Absolutely. He’s so brave and strong. He’s fiercely loyal to his family and will do anything to protect them. When Smoky died, he stepped up without hesitation to lead the people of Nameless City. Plus, have you seen his moves? He’s epic!” You took a sip of the hot chocolate, nodding at the warmth filling you. “Plus, he’s super cute.”

This brought a sudden laugh from the man, startling the couple sitting behind him. 

You scowled at him. “Hey, don’t judge. You know it’s true. You can’t find a single person on Earth who wouldn’t look at him and think he’s cute as hell.”

“I’m not judging,” he chuckled, waving his hand at you. “I was just surprised, is all.”

A comfortable silence settled over the two of you. You wondered if you should try to continue the conversation or not. The only people you had met that like High&Low are people online, he was the first person in real life and you didn’t want to lose that. At the same time, you didn’t want to bother him more than you already had.

“I’m sorry about your date.”

“Eh?” You looked up at him in surprise and confusion. 

He nodded his head toward the male employee who was talking animatedly with a customer across the room. “He told me that you were waiting for over an hour for your date to arrive but you got stood up. I’m assuming that’s who you wanted to kill?”

You snorted in amusement. “I definitely got stood up, but not by a date. It’s my idiot older brother that was supposed to meet me.”

“Oh,” he looked embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Is that why you took pity on me?”

“A little bit, yes,” he answered honestly. “I’m glad I did, though. It’s nice to find a fan of High&Low. Especially one that enjoys the Rude Boys so much. Most fans I meet choose Sannoh or Oya as their favorite group.”

“How overrated,” you snickered, bringing out a chuckle from him as well.

He glanced at his watch and cursed. “I have to get going.”

“Oh,” you replied, hoping he didn’t hear how deflated you felt. You were enjoying his company and wanted to spend more time with him. “Thank you again for letting me sit here.”

“You’re welcome.” He packed away his laptop and stood up, pausing in thought for a moment. “Can I use your phone to check something?”

“Huh? Sure.” You briefly wondered why he didn’t just use his own but figured it must be dead or something. You tugged it from your pocket, setting it against his palm. 

He used it for only a moment before handing it back to you. “Thank you. Take care.”

“Yeah, you too.” You frowned at his back as he approached the counter to pay for his coffee. You wanted so badly to go after him, to ask him to stay a little longer or ask for his number, but something held you back. ‘Damn introverted nature,’ you sighed, hanging your head.

The rain had slowed down considerably, the street lights flickering on. It was getting late, you realized, and you had to work in the morning. You still needed to find and kill your brother, too.

With another sigh, you grabbed your hoodie and approached the counter, pulling out some cash. The male employee stopped you with a smile. “No worries, hun. That nice gentleman paid for your drink.”

“He did?” You blinked in surprise, feeling warm inside when the man nodded. “That was nice of him.”

“It was! You two seemed to be hitting it off, too. I hope you got his number,” he winked at you before walking away.

You frowned, holding back a groan as you left the café. ‘Damn it, why didn’t I ask for his number? He was so sweet and fun to talk to. He had such a nice voice, too. Very calming and warm. Someone like that can’t be single…’ you shook your head. ‘All I did was save myself the embarrassment of him telling me he has a girlfriend already.’

Your phone vibrated in your pocket and you tugged it out, using your free hand to shield it from the light rain that was still falling. You scowled at the screen, angrily pressing the answer button. “Oi, asshole! Where the hell have you been?”

“I’m so sorry!” cried Kai from the other end, sounding panicked. “I was watching Kamen Rider and you know how much I love that show but then Syo-chan called. His girlfriend broke up with him and he wanted to get drunk and forget about her. There was plenty of time left before I was supposed to meet you so I said yes but then we started drinking and we got kicked out of the bar and I think we ended up in the river? That part is still kind of blurry but I lost my phone for a while only to realize it fell out of my pocket when –“

You couldn’t listen to his rambling any longer so you ended the call, pinching the bridge of your nose. “What a dumbass.”

A message came through from him, popping up at the top of the screen.

-> Hanging up on ppl is super rude ya know! >:(

You scoffed in disbelief, pulling up your messages so you could yell at him through text but something made you pause. There was a message thread below his that you hadn’t seen before. 

“Sano Reo?” you read aloud, clicking on the thread. There was only one message and it was a smiley face that had been sent from your phone to their number. Was it a friend of your brother? But the name sounded familiar to you. You scratched the back of your head, returning to your brother’s message to yell at him.

You couldn’t stop thinking about the contact, though. On a whim, you decided to plug the name into Google, not really expecting much. To your surprise, the search pulled up a lot of information.

Sano Reo was the actor who played Takeshi.

The man you had been talking to was a famous celebrity who played your favorite character in your favorite movie. And you had openly stated how cute he is to his face. Your face burned at the realization.

A new message came through on your phone from the man in question.

-> I really enjoyed our chat :) We should continue it over dinner sometime ♡

“Holy shit,” you cried out, startling the people who were walking past you. They gave you dirty looks for scaring them and for using such foul language but you didn’t care. You were on cloud fucking nine. With trembling fingers, you quickly typed out a reply.

<- Yeah, I’d like that :)

───── ⋆⋅🍂⋅⋆ ─────

-> General Taglist: @asterhaze, @mrskenpachizaraki

[thereareeyesinsidethetrees]

just a few monster falls thoughts because i was thinking about it earlier (specifically about the stan twins because the extent of my thoughts about the monster! mystery twins is essentially ‘cervitaur dipper > faun dipper’ and ‘siren mabel > merfolk mabel, but only when the singing ability is changed significantly’)

no art because i can’t do that right now. normally i would at least try but auggggh this has not been my day

anyway! here’s my version of monster falls, i suppose

first thing! both stan twins are significantly taller than they are in canon, but only because they have an extra ‘ribcage’ under their human ones that their wings connect to. having a pair of wings strapped to a human’s shoulders (or around that area) would decrease mobility in the arms quite a bit so. second nebulous structure beneath the human ribcage to affix the wings to. it’s not a perfect (or even really that good) alternative, but i think it’s kind of interesting, so it stuck!

(this also means that the monster! stan twins have significantly increased back pain, as a result of the elongated spine (soos helps modify couches and beds for them))

they both hunt, ford for probably obvious reasons (he is big cat) and stan for less obvious reasons that i’ll explain here

ford takes after an owl (specifically, i associate him with barn owls, great horned owls, and snowy owls so. imagine a mix of all three). he is a silent flyer and really likes hunting perytons

stan takes much more after a bat. in the actual monster falls, he just happens to have bat-like wings because. gargoyle. i wanted to lean into that aspect more, though, so! he can echolocate now (helpful with the cataracts and whatever else may be going on there! not so helpful when he has no idea how to avoid jamming) and he takes after water bats

those are all the thoughts for now. head has been emptied

[tigressaofkanjis]

Cozy Farming Sim with Transformers

Long talk but if there was a game that I would want most, it would be the cozy, laid-back world building sims we have been seeing as of late. But of course there would be a twist needed to make such a game with Transformers to exist. So my rant of the games that should have a Transformer spin off in another post I mentioned had a few open world games and I said a cozy sim. This is the previous post.

"Synopsis: Traveling from afar, you (Bot or Human unknown, job: professional mechanic) find an abandoned space bridge in a remote region and repair it only to summon notable Autobots, Decepticons, and many others. As you create and mold the region to your liking, you build relations with the Cybertronians you encounter and make them comfortable living in the region with you. Hunt, gather, harvest, and document all the region has to offer from various colored Energon crystals growing in the wild to cybernetic species unleashed. Work together with your Cybertronian friends to maintain a world of your design.

Like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you can venture into parts of Cybertron and some colonies to find certain Transformers and bring them to your region as companions.

Region will be an Earth-based open world (could be another planet entirely) with plenty to explore including secrets of the past, up to eight different environments to unlock to roam among which will have cybernetic animals of all types you can interact with and document (possible organic animals may be included, some can even become mounts). Shockwave and Perceptor would have the most rewards for discovering animals and substances respectfully (they are unlocked as companions by completing that section of your guide).

Quests will be available from many Transformers, and when your relations with Transformers have built up to certain levels, you can either have them follow you as your companion or ride on their shoulders and control them to navigate your world but be mindful of certain limitations with each type of Transformer.

There is no timer on how you wish to approach Transformers or on their quests. The only thing that might cause delay is Transformers may return to and from their worlds so if you can’t find them in the overworld region, look in their respectful areas on their planet.

You can destroy the environment with your Transformers (it’ll grow back in an hour, don’t worry) and build activities for them to do to keep them and you entertained.

Various skins (G1, TFP, TFA, etc can be unlocked)

It is somewhat stylized, a mix of cartoon blending like Dreamlight Valley and Animal Crossing combined but in a ground level 3D space like regular games. Cues were also taken from Paleo Pines."

That was the part I did about the cozy gaming. But I wanted to add to it. So, first, I would detail that you would have a relatively large isle or place you could roam in, and there would be eight environments I would include in the game:

Meadows – Contains vast fields with plentiful trees and other flora where the space bridge is first located and ideal starting land. You will mostly find grounders like plenty of Autobots and Decepticons in this area though the Dinobots and Predacons can occasionally roam through. Shockwave and/or Perceptor’s cavern labs, once restored, can be found at the edge of the area where they will exchange information, finished quests, research tasks, and more for rewards and supplies. 

Ocean – Depending on the layout of the map, you will either be surrounded by it as a huge island or have certain points accessible via the beachfront. Small isles can be traversed to find certain Transformers roaming and resting. The most common you may come across are flyers like many Decepticons, Seekers, and Predacons. While it takes a few main story quests to unlock the required equipment to sail the water, it is acquired quite easily. Manning a farm or small village of befriended Transformers on an isle is difficult but not impossible with plenty of time and effort. Maybe you could even build an anchored, floating home... 

Jungle – Dinobots, Predacons, Insecticons, and many more beasts call this place the home away from home. Though spooky at night with their calls, it contains plenty of resources and with a beastly companion beside you, finding a home in the jungle will make it feel less imposing. 

Volcanic Basin – One of the most dangerous areas, the volcano is home to Transformers who like their isolation and cannot be penned together with only but a select few they tolerate. They prefer heat over medium and cold environments. While you may make yourself home here, not many crops and resources like the intensity, but certain Energon only grows in its fumes. A good mining located for other materials as well. 

Mountains – The most difficult area to reach requiring Transformer companions who can climb or fly. Fair warning, altitudes are cold. Several caves adorned with rare materials and certain Energon deposits thrive in the temperature, but only some crops and resources can survive here. Thankfully, the cold is not low enough to be lethal to any Transformer. In storms, you may find Autobots and Decepticons rarely seen in general in the caves roaming. During clear skies, you’ll see them out and about. Some beasts call it home too. 

Desert – Some Transformers prefer the desert, especially Minicons who have little trouble using their size to squeeze into low formations for shade. Heavy in sand, not much in resources. But it is a great place to dig for buried objects and possibly other things. 

Canyon – If you love to fly, this is the location for you. The canyons curve with the land all the way out to sea. Many flying Decepticons and Predacons use it to roam free. The difficulty of the area is getting them to keep still as they can only be befriended on the ground. But maybe flying with them and showing off your tricks is entertainment enough as certain gestures and actions might invoke the Transformers to respond with their own mid-air styles. The river that flows at the bottom is great for plants and Energon growth, but the landscape can leave your farm and companions a little cramped. 

Tundra – Less risk and slightly less rewarding in resources, the snowbound land sits at the base of the mountains. It holds Transformers who prefer the tough landscape, mostly the heavy-duty ones who can push the snow and other obstacles out of their way. The strongest Transformers can be found here but don’t let their strength and size intimidate you, they can be caught playing in the snow if you look hard enough. 

Cybertron is available to reach after a few repairs to the space bridge. You can travel to over five different regions, including Iacon, Kaon, Crystal City, Tyger Pax, and the Sea of Rust. Some Transformers won’t venture outside their world upon activating and unleashing their peers among your region. You can find them in these areas including Combiners (who you must befriend and bring all components to your stables to unlock). While Cybertron is the central hub, other planets that would come into play perhaps would be Caminus, Velocitron, Junkion, and Aquatron who would have their own set of characters you could unlock though not many areas can be visited. 

Different Color Schemes can be encountered in daily spawns. All wild Transformers can be encountered in Normal and Regal color schemes (2 colors in each category) while Rare and Legendary color schemes are only obtainable through secret encounters.

Normal Colors – Two color schemes that are canon to the character. Can vary in shade, patterns, and other variances between the two. Some normal color schemes may look similar to the other on the same bot so keep a look out! 

Regal Colors – Two color schemes of a fancier variety, often of minerals, gems, and other royal scale alternatives. Multiple Transformers can sometimes be found with the same color or similar. 

Rare Colors – Two color schemes that are the same in name but vary in color on each bot. Beast colors reflect all animal color schemes inspired from the series Beast Wars, even to characters not found in the show. Shattered Glass colors are schemes in regard to the phenomenon of the Shattered Glass universes. 

Legendary Colors – Two color schemes that are exclusive only, each reflecting either a toy exclusive, a moment in their history, or other coloration that describes them that will never be found on any other Transformer available. 

But what’s this? Shockwave reports disturbances in the universe causing distortion rifts! Outbreaks of multiple cosmic clones of a single Transformer (including himself when befriended after collecting enough data across the region) can be encountered in a group of six in any occurring color schemes for that bot. Once different universal skins are unlocked (G1, TFA, TFP, etc), you may encounter not just different colors but also different molds of the character in the outbreak. You can have multiple of the same Transformer as companions on your farm and your village! 

But what if you don’t like the character mold you get with a color scheme you like, do not fret. Perceptor has made a new invention just for you that can change the appearance of a Transformer to any available unlocked counterpart with the proper payment of materials of course. Don’t like TFA Arcee in a legendary color but think it’ll look good on TFP Arcee? The Universal Shifter will make it happen. 

So, how do you befriend a Transformer? It’s easier than you think...but you do have to be on the lookout for what they like. Energon is always favorable to any Transformer. Most areas have the Energon needed to make any Transformer a companion, but sometimes they are very picky and may only like one type or may need quite a few helpings to get them to come around to you. So, make sure you have plenty of Energon sweets of all types available in your subspace. Some are more battle oriented. You can weaken them with other Transformers and bridge them to your base, tending to them until they trust you. 

What if the Transformer form you want is all the way across the map? With the space bridge at your disposal, you can bridge anywhere, but do be careful exactly where you point to spawn. Wouldn’t want to accidentally teleport yourself into a lava crater looking for Blackout in the Volcanic Basin, would you? Or hit a slope in the mountains to fall all the way down it when you were trying to find Thundercracker roaming the icy peak. Markers will be labeled for ideal spawns to prevent that, but knowing you... 

What would you be doing with the many Transformers you can collect? You can assign them tasks like scavenging, farming, and mining to help you. But you can also ride on their shoulders and take control of them to do whatever you wish. Transform, fly, drive, destroy or create anything to your heart’s desire with their powers at your command. And maybe as a bonus, you could create your own village and invite others like you to live with the Transformers.  

But just remember, they sometimes can roam. You can track where they are once befriended and meet them where they go or simply call them back to home base. You can also design the island with them to make one huge isle of wonder, a whole country almost. Just make sure you design resting stables for your autonomous friends. They don’t always like being out in the elements. 

Utilize any Transformer with anything you wish, the game would be for you to approach it however you want. And you get to hang out with your very own companions of your choosing. Estimated, you could have up to 80 Transformers in your home base and 30 in any three extra bases you decide to set up. Collect all the color schemes, all the skins, and just have fun.

I wish this game existed...

[roseytoesy]

Voreville vore day! Happy 8/8!

It was officially vore day! The most anticipated and celebrated holiday in this pocket universe. Voreville was alight with many folks of all kinds from taur mixed to angels to orca folk to fae. The plaza was decorated with many flags with a stomach design on them saying “happy 8/ate!” There were different small stands around the plaza where folks would teleport in. Many stand just having flyers for the days activities and little maps to help guide folks to the activity areas. Along with special teleport pins for those who want to be able to visit as many tummies as they desire. 

The day starts off with a big breakfast buffet, fluffy pancakes and waffles, along with crepes, French toast, and cereals lined a very long table. And not to far from this large outdoor table was a scattering of picnic tables so there were plenty of places to sit for all. There were plenty of toppings and encouragement to enjoy the food and friends! There was even a little sign near the end of the table saying “made by friends, for friends, with friends! ;)”

Many different folks would happily swim in the punch bowl filled with syrup and be added as a topping to a pancake or waffle. 

“Some smaller folk, like this green borrower here likes to try and swipe some pieces off of other plates but what they don’t realize is a pred on the prowl. With a squeak and click the borrower is caught in the jaws of the shapeshifting lizard. Sent down to grumble for a bit before the games begin.” 

*Ah yes thank you Kate for that.*

“No problem narrator/god!” The strange small pink sheep said. 

Many people get eaten by the large lizard and many of them use the teleporting pin to pop out as a stomach whine echoes out of the loud speakers, signaling the start of the next activities. Lizard offers a few friends rides on their back or in their mouth as they go over toward one of the three arenas. 

“There’s a water arena, the mountain arena, and the forest arena! And for any who don’t want to be chased or hit with foods there’s the cuddle zone open at all times.” 

*Indeed there are plenty of amazing options for this day!*

The forest arena is filled with allergy friendly foods and launchers for different types of foods. FOOD FIGHT is on the banner for the maze like arena. With elevated seating for observers there we can see Toast and Lucky, taking furous notes for their stories. Here we see Mystic the small human with a magical art tool and they went for the spice canons, their preferred pred Griff the orca humanoid who grabbed the sauce shots along with many other pred and prey pairings. Cyber happily joined in the war zone as well with their armor and what they liked to call their spaghetti armagetti.

“This is going to be one heck of a battle! LETS GET READY TO FOOD FIGHT!” Kate announced as a loud buzzer went off signaling the start of the games.  

Meanwhile in the mountain arena lizard and many of their passengers put on grey and black camo, the sign for this arena reading **Hide and Eat!**. We can see The large shapeshifting lizard, their close prey friends Levi the goat person, Naess the mushroom folk, and a small umbreon.

*An intense game of hide and seek many prey will go in and very full preds will come out!*

“You should leave the announcing thing to me” 

*hey!*

“The final arena contains the sharks and minnows games! Many aquatic preds get to enjoy a nice swim and a good friend who just want fast enough to escape the hungry predators! And I see Cj taking quite a few notes in the stands over the arena.” 

*that was my line but fine. Anyway!*

The games were afoot and many prey were gobbled up in no time at all, some preds left happily after just one friend and the fun of a game heading to a designated full of friends room to relax on plush seating and even some massage chairs. 

“In the forest arena a fuller than normal griff was covered in cinnamon, paprika, and had a few spagetti noodles on their shoulders, their goggles a bit fogged up but their tail swayed side to side as they cornered mystic sticking the poor small to the wall with a harmless shot of sweet and sour sauce.” 

The orca mer smiled and mystic let out a laugh as they were gently picked up, letting their weapon fall to the ground. “Good game griff, enjoy your prize!” They said and griff just smiled wide. 

“It’s been a blast! No in ya go with cyber” They said as they popped the sauce covered small into their mouth humming happily at the taste and little wiggles-

“Hey remember there are a bunch of other people here too. You can’t just focus on mystic and griff. As cute as those two are.”

*right sorry* 

In the mountain arena, lizard was on a rampage shape shifting every few seconds to go over some of the walls and large rocks sniffing out or chasing their prey friends. Snapping them up in an instant or laying on them for a bit before gobbling them up. They even ate a few other preds who had already gotten their desired catches. Not many are safe from being nommed by that big but friendly beast. 

“And of course the water arena. A few of the merfolk preds like our friend fish are happily full of some wiggling fish folk and others. And it seems a certain naga and fairy are having a bit of a chase with banter~”

*haha… and in the cuddle-*

“No no it’s cute! Tero and Rosey having some fun before such cute wholesome extreme cuddles-“

*I thought you said we weren’t going to focus to much on anyone!*

“Hehe”

*how the heck did you make the evil cucumber face?? You know what I don’t want to know*

“And in the cuddle zone there are some adorable couples enjoying movies or games, with clear belly potions available for some preds or a shared waterproof screen provided for the prey the two can absolutely enjoy some nice time together.”

*just wanted to point out the most adorable couple here all snuggle and warm just chatting together as they do their own thing on their little tablets/gaming consoles: Nebby the little eldritch angel and Adam the multi armed sweet heart. Two of his hands happily holding his full belly as it constantly shifts with the ever impossible form of nebbys true self. Both content and in bliss with eachother. 

“Alright alright enough sappy ness there will be plenty of that with the star show.”

And of course the final activity of the day: the vore star gazing. Held in the cuddle zone, where some parts of the roof are folded away so that preds and prey can stargaze and watch a special meteor shower! For those who don’t want to watch that there are rooms with star projectors that are intractable too! Potions of star belly are available along with the clear belly potions from before. There are special scents that prey can take with them to make the preds belly their own little personal hideaway.

“Many preds will likely pass out from food comas and just being cozy from being full of friends.”

*a perfect way to end one of the best holidays here, in my opinion.*

“**Urp** indeed it is!” 

*sigh. hope you enjoyed the gaze into the cute and fun ideas of voreville vore day! Have a deliciously fun 8/8!!*

[reliablejoukido]

zuzsenpai (reliablejoukido)'s fanfiction masterpost

Since I have written quite a few Digimon fanfics now, I thought I would document them all in one place, largely so I can keep track. If anyone ever has any questions about my stories, please send an ask!

Multi-ship:

"Somewhere Only We Know" - Jyoumi, Daiken, Takari - multi chap 10/16; rated T; ongoing; currently 88,295 words - Joe Kido starts a medical clinic in the Digital World. As the other Chosen Children help him get situated, they slowly begin to learn what the Digital World means to them as adults. Meanwhile, Ken evaluates his feelings, friendship, and future with Daisuke.

Daisuke/Ken:

"Friday I'm in Love" - multi chap 8/8; rated T; completed; 7,789 words - A few glimpses into what it’s like to fall in love over the course of many Fridays.

"Daisuke's Love Mix-Up! - oneshot; rated T; 11,400 words - During a midterm exam, Daisuke borrows Hikari’s eraser. Disaster strikes in the weirdest way possible, and it’s an uphill battle just to keep his first love from vanishing into thin air. Or perhaps it’s a winding road that leads to feelings he didn’t know he had.

"20 Questions" - oneshot; rated T; ???? words - Ken and Daisuke are out here playing 4D chess... but perhaps not on the same board.

"(Don't) stop flirting" - oneshot; rated M; 4,288 words - Ken couldn’t get those words out of his head. He didn’t want to do anything about it… but Daisuke had other plans. - "The Beginning" spoilers

Daisuke/Takeru:

"Watch Me Now" - oneshot; rated E; 7,129 words - “Just one look you're gonna be obsessed, I give it all I got never any less.” Or: Daisuke watches Takeru watch Daisuke. It gets them both a little thirsty.

"It’s getting late and I cannot seem to find my way home tonight" - multi chap 4/4; rated T; completed; 17,400 words - Takeru is only 20 years old and his love life is already tiresome. That is, until he lets something slip to Daisuke that changes everything. Takeru suddenly finds himself inexplicably drawn to endless possibilities.

"Flying Hope" - multi chap 1/2; rated T; ongoing; currently 9,845 words - Takeru Takaishi did NOT start out the day expecting to develop a crush on his old friend Daisuke. Completely out of the blue, at age 32 and some change. He supposed it wasn’t the worst thing that could happen in his life right now.

"The Captive Monsters of Yamatora Seaside Elementary School" - oneshot; rated T; 9,054 words - In a world where digital monsters are scarcely-documented cryptids, two men— Daisuke the believer and Takeru the skeptic— seek to answer the burning question in everyone’s minds: “are Digimon real?”

Daisuke/Michael:

"So Come and Dance with Me" - multi chap 7/9; rated T; ongoing; currently 49,206 words - Daisuke Motomiya is 27 years old and finally achieving his dream of opening a ramen truck in New York City. The city assigns him a spot near the theater district, where he runs across a flyer for an off-Broadway production starring an old, extremely attractive acquaintance.

Daisuke/Miyako:

"Vibes" - oneshot; rated M; 1,507 words - He thinks about her. She touches him.

"Bar-Crossed Lovers" - multi chap; rated M; completed; 11,733 words - Miyako laughed out loud when she saw him on the other side of the bar. Out of everyone who could’ve bought her a drink tonight, it had to be the one person in the world who wouldn’t mean anything romantic by it.

Daisuke/Lui:

"The Universal Language of Friendship" - muti chap 2/?; rated T; ongoing; currently 4,196 words - Lui visits Daisuke at Yamatoya Ramen. With the help of Daisuke’s friends, Lui observes, and tries to learn about building relationships. - "The Beginning" spoilers

Jou/Taichi:

"Escape With Me" - oneshot; rated T; 2,800 words - “I've never been here before, I don't know the score. But I never wanted you more than I do tonight. Will you escape with me? And we'll start brand new.”

"Spontaneous Like Clockwork - oneshot; rated T; 2,305 words - At first, Jou hadn’t been sure what to make of Taichi just inviting himself over whenever he felt like it. But it soon became apparent that his old friend gained enjoyment out of spending time with Jou— not because he liked bothering the doctor and using him for his food and couch— but because he genuinely loved the company. Or, Taichi discovers Costco.

"The Secret of Us" - multi chap 5/5; rated E; completed; 21,048 words - Yamato and Sora think Taichi has a girlfriend. Truthfully Taichi is single, but there is someone in his life.

Jou/Mimi:

"Kiss from a Rose" - oneshot; rated E; 5,860 words - When his dark eyes met hers, they seemed impossibly darker, with a glint of something interesting forming in his expression. Oh, Mimi thought, am I in for something special tonight?

Gen fics:

"All Roads Lead Me Back to You" - multi chap 4/4; rated G; completed; 10,346 words - There are no official roads in the Digital World. When Jou Kido drives his makeshift ambulance, he has to forge his own path.

"return of the king (feat. 02 hair)" - oneshot; rated T; 466 words - Jou Kido's hair is serious business.

"Two Sides" - oneshot; rated G; 658 words - Even if Ken never sees Iori outside of work, they'll always be two sides of the same coin.

"The Badge" - oneshot; rated G; 1,476 words - Iori technically already knew he passed the bar– the results had been posted online since Monday. But what Iori was waiting not-so-patiently for was the shining symbol that represented passing the bar. The golden emblem that symbolically gave him the liberty to defend someone in court, instead of just helping out as an apprentice. The glistening stamp of approval that meant a client would take him seriously as a lawyer.

[puckgoss]

how do you feel about cutter gauthier? as a player and person. especially after the flyers trade drama and the wjc drama with one of the swedish player. and most recently his trash talking before the ncaa and getting shut out. i have mixed feelings about this guy

hmm well i think you can be confident and talk shit in a good way but there's also a way NOT to do it if that makes sense...

like it's important to respect ur opponent while still having the belief ur team is better and can win - he doesn't seem to have all that much respect for his opponents

with the flyers situation it's tough to know what actually happened and i don't think either side is the good/bad guy... i'm not mad at a player for exercising one of the few rights he has if he truly doesn't want to play for a team, he's not the only one to have done it. players have very little agency so i'm not like upset that he chose to exercise his rights, even tho it is pretty taboo in a culture that expects everyone to follow the rules and not cause a stink abt things

from some of his dad's comments it sounds like they are quite entitled and arrogant - it's good to believe in urself and ur abilities but u can still be respectful at the same time and he doesn't always seem to have that baseline level of respect

he has accomplished a lot at the junior/NCAA level so i hope for his sake that he does well at the NHL level too, otherwise he'll look like a bit of an asshole lol. he's a young guy so i don't want to judge him too harshly, and it seems like his teammates and friends really like him. we'll see how his professional career plays out

it also seems like he enjoys playing the villain/being a "heel" as they say, i'm sure we will be enjoying cutter related drama for many years

[gale-heart]

So I haven’t had much success with making post-timeskip art for Ilyssae (I have a bad habit of sinking too much time into my sillier warm-up doodles) but now that I’m getting active in RP again I wanted to rework a few aspects of her backstory!

——

Age: Bumped up from early/mid 20s in chronological years to the ever-nebulous elven equivalent of that age as of Dragonflight. In hindsight I’m not really comfortable with her being as young as she was during some of the stuff I put her through—this way she’s still young by elven standards, but not “holy SHIT this is practically a BABY” young. She still never successfully integrated into modern kaldorei society or culture, and still does did lots of dumb and reckless shit due to an unfortunate mix of hubris, a low wisdom score, and having easy access to powerful magic.

Shadowlands: Rewrote Ilyssae’s involvement with the Shadowlands entirely. Her attempted portal to Argus still imploded due to the shockwave effects of Sylvanas destroying the Helm of Domination at the same time. She spent the majority of the expansion trapped in a nebulous state of limbo between death and life, and only popped out conscious into Ardenweald after the anima drought was resolved. Eventually she was located and brought safely home to Azeroth through the combined efforts of her mentor/matron Eoselle and many other friends. She’s still foggy on the details of whatever the heck else happened while she was out, but all things considered it could have gone a lot worse!

Angst: Ties into the previous plot point. Being stuck in an existential long nap and cut off from contact with the universe gives a soul lots of time for introspection and healing. By the time she woke up again Ilyssae had largely come to peace with the losses and tragedies she’d been through, and with a little more help from therapy her mental health is far more stable nowadays. (She hasn’t stopped being a show-off or holding a few grudges, but, you know, other than THAT she’s chilled the fuck out.)

——

Present Day:

Ilyssae took things easy for a while after returning from the Shadowlands and joining the Fence Macabre, but the last three years saw her dive headlong into her new connection to natural magic with a fervor untapped since her university days (though, blessedly, she was better about sleeping and taking breaks this time.) She rapidly established an affinity for the sea and weather spells as an extension of her pre-existing talents, and as a fresh-trained Squallshaper she’s now just as capable of guiding the Fence’s mercantile flagship safely through a tempest as she is of turning that storm against her foes.

She also spent many months harassing any druids of the Talon she could meet for guidance on tinkering with the shape, size, and capabilities of her bird form. She’s a deft flyer now, and can even adopt a battle form with minor storm magic abilities, but still prefers to take on the shape of a simple silver raven in most occasions.

Conversely, she ran up against the limits of her magic in her experimentation. Although adequate at healing moderate wounds, she was never quite able to achieve the same mastery with it that she has in manipulating the elements. Further, plants refused to so much as twitch for her despite her best efforts (she did accidentally freeze or wither several in the process of trying.) All things considered, though, she’s not too fussed about those shortcomings. She’s always excelled in grand, flashy shows of power—now she’s even more justified in showing off!

These are undoubtedly the best years of Ily’s life so far: sailing the seas with a job she enjoys, putting on some actual muscle, kicking ass, helping people, belonging to a tight-knit community (and lovingly annoying a certain sindorei port warden!). She’s even started using (if with no great hurry) those piles of gold she inherited from her brief disaster marriage! Her cats have never been more spoiled, her hoard of plushies grows, and her new wardrobe and beauty regimen have her feeling like an absolute baddie. However…she still doesn’t feel completely whole. After literal centuries of isolation and being made small under someone else’s power, she vowed to never again let herself be trapped in one place—to embrace her new freedom and fight tooth and nail against those who would bind her down. She still has every intention of doing so…but lately she’s been reflecting on her old apartment, and how good it felt to have a physical place to call home, a place that was entirely her own to do with as she pleased. She’s realized she misses that, and wants to have that again. At the very least, it would be nice to have someplace permanent to keep all her books (her cabin on the Fiona’s Pride ran out of space months ago, and saltwater isn’t exactly friendly to paper). Now it’s just a matter of deciding where, and how ostentatious—assuming of course that she survives the guild’s current adventure on the Dragon Isles!

——

Perhaps someday soon I’ll find an excuse to break Ily’s brothers out for use, or Elune forbid bring out her mother to make other characters’ lives worse. But I’m pretty happy for now with how my main is shaping up!

[everygame]

Destroyer (Arcade)

Developed/Published by: Atari, Inc. Released: 11/1977 Completed: 12/03/2023 Completion: Played it a bit. Only reached 1600 points, though… Version Played: Atari Flashback Classics Trophies / Achievements: n/a

Honestly pretty hard to know what to make of Atari in 1977. It’s just put out the 2600 with what can be charitably called a bit of a mixed bag of launch titles, and it’s also dumping out pretty uninspired titles like Canyon Bomber. But it’s also releasing Destroyer, which, while hardly a great game, feels like not just a better version of what Canyon Bomber is trying to do, but also comes in a more interesting and attractive cabinet with one of those cool color backgrounds via that monitor reflection technique.. and it was released basically at the same time???

At least part of the story here is that Destroyer definitely began as a rip-off: after ripping off Gremlin’s Blockade for Dominoes, Atari seemed like they really wanted to stick the boot in, ripping off Gremlin’s slow anti-submarine shooter Depthcharge with a far flashier game.

It sort of works. For some stupid reason again Atari decides that the player doesn’t want to control their ship and instead just have it go back and forth on the screen, but at least here you’re able to control the speed (well, between fast and slow.) Additionally, you’re actually “targeting” your depth charges with a dotted line on screen that you move up and down, and when you hit the fire button, where you’ve got the line at that moment is where the depth charge will explode, even if you move the line later. 

Perhaps I’m just a sucker for something that looks nice after the monochrome tedium of Super Bug and Canyon Bomber, but I was more charmed by this, and it at least improves on Depthcharge. Take a look at the arcade flyer and notice how cool the controls must have felt to use and I can imagine this grabbing quite a few quarters.

Unfortunately though, it’s still just not that good. The submarines that move back and forth appear randomly and it really does feel like sheer luck if you’re going to hit the high-scoring fast moving ones, with controlling your ship’s speed hardly feeling helpful at all, so once the shine of the visuals and controls wear off you’re really left with very little at all, especially as this is another timed game meaning that going for a high score just feels like an exercise where you’re going to have a lot of plays where you had no chance at all.

It’s the kind of thing, really, where you’d think that a company should probably not release two similar titles but instead maybe just concentrate on making one especially good one. I’m not sure Canyon Bomber being multiplayer is really enough of a differentiator for both of these to exist.

Or either of them really.

Will I ever play it again? I’ll allow that I’d like to play an actual arcade version of this.

Final Thought: Things would go pretty sadly for Gremlin in the end. They’d be acquired by Sega in 1978 (good!) but would be defunct by 1983, despite one of their last releases, Zaxxon, being one of the top grossing games of 1982 and is still fondly remembered. Support Every Game I’ve Finished on ko-fi! You can pick up a digital copy of exp. 2600, a zine featuring all-exclusive writing at my shop, or join as a supporter at just $1 a month and get articles like this a week early.

[moonchild-things]

Chapter Thirteen: A Manga-Obsessed Brother

Summary: Being a psychic is not an ideal life, at least for Saiki Kusuo. Didn’t you read/watch The Disastrous Life of Saiki K to know that? Still, this isn’t about him, not really. Instead, let’s focus on his one and only friend, Akari Watanabe, who is also quite abnormal. You might not believe that Saiki would actually have a friend, but that’s what fanfictions are about, right?  

Word Count: 2252

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UNLIKE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS, INSTEAD OF FOLLOWING AKARI and Kusuo at the start of their day or at school or something else, we are mixing it up. Oh, look at that, an original chapter, how fun! So like I said, we’re not at PK Academy today, instead we are at the local junior high school. It’s not that far away from PK, actually just a small walk away from it.

If you can’t guess already, but today, we’ll be following a different Watanabe! A trio of junior high school boys were crowded around a few desks in the back of their classroom. School just ended for them and they were all starting to gather their things to leave. Among this trio is obviously Rikuto, who was talking to two of his good friends.

“Did you see it?!” One of the boys, with bushy brown hair buzzed in his seat, “Did you see it?!”

The other, who looked identical to the first boy, nodded his head rapidly, his blue eyes lit with excitement, “The newest volume is on sale today!” He reached out to show the two a flyer that he had grabbed.

“No way!” Rikuto gasped as he jumped up from his desk, “Really?” His messy black hair swaying as he jumped up.

The first twin, for these two other boys were twins, you can’t deny that, hummed happily, “Mhm! It’s only ¥2,500!”

Rikuto groaned in dismay, “Man, I don’t have that kind of money. My parents don’t give me that much of an allowance…” Well, more like he already blew his allowance on some mangas already. He has no sense of money management, honestly. Pretty sure he used it all the day that he got it!

The two brothers shared a look, already knowing Rikuto’s issue with money and shook their heads. One of them shrugged his shoulders as he stood up, “If you save up you’ll get enough for it next week.”

“But it won’t be on sale then!” Rikuto whined as the trio headed out of the classroom. It’s your fault there, buddy. Should have saved your money. 

Both of his friends just shook their heads at his misfortune, “Oh, well.”

A thought then struck him as he slyly looked at his friends, “You don’t think you-”

One of them shook his hands frantically, “No way am I lending you money!”

“Drat.” Rikuto groaned before looking to the other boy who just shook his head again.

“Don’t even ask me!” The other exclaimed.

Rikuto sighed, though he’s not that surprised. People know not to lend him money, least they’ll be waiting quite a long time before he pays them back. The twins then looked down at their watches to see the time, and one said, “Well, mom wants us home early today.”

“Oh, okay,” Rikuto said as he waved to the twins as they headed the opposite direction of him, “see you guys tomorrow!”

“Bye, Watanabe!”

So Rikuto started his walk back home. As any normal day, it was nice out and perfect for Rikuto to walk on his own. However, since he was by himself, it meant that there was no one around to stop him from heading into town and stop by the shops. More specifically, the book shop where he can get his mangas. As if he were on auto pilot, Rikuto may or may not have started to walk towards the shop and walked in. He scurried over to the manga section and stared at the piles of books that were just taunting him.

He quickly shuffled through all of his pockets and his backpack to find every last pit of yen that he could find. After rummaging for quite a bit, he eventually found about ¥1,800. Not a whole lot, but enough to get at least a few cheap mangas. So he browsed the books and compared their prices to try and find as many mangas that he could actually buy for the amount of yen that he has. His bright green eyes were drinking in all of the mangas that he would more than love to actually buy, but without having that much money, he wouldn’t be able to get them all, like he wants to.

Eventually, he found the one book that he couldn’t actually afford but desperately wanted. “The Adventures of Bubble Girl and Gummy Bear,” he practically drooled at the fresh manga staring at him in all its glory. It’s basically some silly cliche story of a superhero and her pet bear… that was also made out of candy? I don’t know. MJ may be too lazy to try and come up with an actual manga series or something. Though you can imagine that all this manga really is a ploy to get people to but the other merchandise that goes along with it.

Just as Rikuto was lamenting the fact that he couldn’t get the one manga that he wanted, a certain pink-haired teen spied the junior high schooler. He was at the shop just to browse some books and such like he may normally do. Since he didn’t have that much to do today, and Akari was taking a nap, he thought it would be a good idea just to check out the shop. The last thing he wanted was to run into his friend's little brother.

Even if he wanted to try and keep himself out of sight from the manga-obsessed boy, he certainly forgot that MJ likes putting him in these kinds of situations. So while Rikuto was drooling over the manga, he caught the sight of pink hair from the corner of his eyes. He brightened up, “Kusuo-nii!” He hoped over to the older teen with a wide smile, “What are you doing here?”

Kusuo cringed at his voice and slowly turned around. Sadly his escape was now paused since he was caught. Darn. He grunted, “Nothing. I’m leaving now.” Kusuo didn’t not like Rikuto, but he also didn’t like him completely. He tolerates the young boy because he’s Akari’s brother, but it’s not like Kusuo goes out of his way to have a relationship with Rikuto. Though that doesn’t mean he can’t avoid the way that the younger boy latched onto him and tried to have a brotherly relationship with him. 

“Oh, oh!” Rikuto jumped after the older teen who continued to try and get out of there. He grabbed Kusuo’s arm to stop him, much to Kusuo’s chagrin, “can you help me out!”

“No,” Kusuo’s eyes twitched. 

Rikuto pouted, still not letting go of him, “You don’t even know what I need help with.”

“You want me to buy you this new book since you don’t have enough money,” he deadpanned, since it’s obvious and perhaps something like this has happened before. No, yeah, this has definitely happened before.

The young boy smiled sheepishly, “Ah, well.” He finally let his hostage go and rocked back and forth on his heels. He flashed Kusuo his most innocent looking smile. “Either way, can you help?”

Kusuo stared at him for a moment before answering with no hesitation, “No.”

Rikuto deflated slightly, but certainly wasn’t going to give up now, “I’ll give you a bunch of coffee jelly! Dad just made a whole batch of it, I’d be willing to get it to you by tonight.”

“Tempting.” Kusuo pursed his lips, which caused Rikuto to brighten. Though he still didn’t cave, “No.”

Seeing that Kusuo really wasn’t going to help him out, Rikuto grew desperate. His seeming addiction to manga certainly needed to be fed today with the volume that he wanted right now. Sure he could just wait a few more days to get his allowance and then buy it then… but why do that when he could just harass Kusuo now and get it. Rikuto pursed his lips, though finally came up with something to try and convince him to help him out. The junior high schooler shrugged his shoulders and glanced away, “Guess I’ll just have to bother Akari about this when I get home. No doubt she’ll want to hear about how horrible big brother Kusuo was to me here.”

The psychic stared at him, with his eyes hardening behind his glasses. “Demon.” Rikuto certainly knew how to play Kusuo to get what he wanted. The last thing he needed was for Akari to bother him because Rikuto decided to run off to her complaining about him. On one hand, he knows that Akari wouldn’t be necessarily happy to know that Rikuto once again blew his money on some manga. However, on the other hand, he knows that she doesn’t want to hear her brother, probably for a long time, talking about how “mean” Kusuo was.

“So?” The boy smirked, seeing how he backed Kusuo into a corner. “You’ll do it.”

Kusuo eyed him, though he had to admit it was impressive how Rikuto could extort him like this. Well, it’s impressive and concerning. Let’s just focus on the impressive part though. “Shut up.” He grunted and started to walk away, “Let’s go.”

“Yay!” Rikuto exclaimed as he snatched up the newest manga that he wanted and followed after him. After the two boys bought the manga that he had wanted, they finally left the book shop. Now, Rikuto had spent all his money once again and Kusuo was now missing ¥700. Rikuto was smiling ear to ear as he admired his new book, he turned that happy smile up to Kusuo. “Thanks, Kusuo-nii! Since you helped me out, I’ll help you out too!”

Kusuo side-eyed the boy, actually walking him home since he knows Akari would want him to keep an eye on her brother. “What could you help me with?”

“You and Akari,” Rikuto said in a ‘duh’ tone, “don’t you need help wooing her or something?” He doesn’t know all that much about romance, but he’s been forced to watch enough American rom-coms to know that the guy usually has to do something to woo the girl he’s interested in. Of course, Rikuto knows that Kusuo is interested in his sister. He’s not an idiot. Well, that’s debatable. Except he may not be wrong here… 

Kusuo grimaced, “Why would I woo her?” There’s no reason that he needs help to woo Akari, nor does he actually want to do that. What makes Rikuto think that he wants to do that?! He glared down at the boy, “Don’t make me regret getting this for you.”

Rikuto raised his hands in surrender but laughed, “Ok, ok! I’m sorry! Sheesh, why are you so uptight?” He shook his head, “No need to hide the fact that you like my sister. I won’t tell her if that’s what you’re afraid of.” He then gave Kusuo a closed-eyed smile and flashed him a big thumbs up. “I approve!”

The older teen clicked his tongue, “Whatever.”

What does Kusuo care if Rikuto approves? He’s not looking for approval for anything about this. A relationship with Akari would never happen. As far as they would go is friends. That’s it. They would never be boyfriend or girlfriend or anything like that. They’re friends. Maybe best friends, but Kusuo wouldn’t say that outloud. Sure, he appreciates Akari a lot, is glad that there is someone else who understands him in certain ways. It also helps that she has supernatural abilities. Perhaps the only reason that he befriended her in the first place was because she has the powers. Though deep down he knows that he probably would have tried to talk with her even without her powers. After all, he does like her as a person. Well not like. No. Don’t look any further into that statement.

Though even if he wanted to deny it, Rikuto’s vibrant green eyes were lit with excitement. Much like his father, he liked the idea of Akari getting married to Kusuo. Really, the psychic is the only one that Rikuto would trust to be in a relationship with his sister. After all, an all powerful being such as Saiki Kusuo would definitely keep Akari safe. Blame it on the overprotective nature of being a younger brother, but Rikuto doesn’t want anyone to hurt his sister in any way, even if she has supernatural powers. Kusuo is someone he already views as an older brother, so it wouldn’t be that different if he actually became his brother-in-law. Though only time will tell. Also, how often this story is updated. You’ll just have to wait and see how this progresses. Oops. 

So Kusuo started to lead Rikuto back home. The junior high schooler talked excitedly about his new book as the high schooler just listened to him and complained internally. Though Kusuo never once stopped him or tried to quiet him down. He just let Rikuto nerd out as much as he wanted as they headed back home. No doubt after this, Kusuo is going to head right over to Akari and complain to her about it. Which will probably end up with him being scowlded for caving into Rikuto but laughing at how easily he let a thirteen-year-old manipulate him so easily.

Though along with the shiny new manga, there was the price glaring at him; ¥2,500. Rikuto huffed and deflated. He stared at the few mangas that he already had in his hand, basically these three that he has were already equal to ¥1,800, so he wouldn’t be able to get them at all. Such a sad day.

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[reallygroovyninja]

Empty Nest (Working Title)

The front door creaked gently as Clarke pushed it open, stepping into the familiar quiet of their home. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm, dappled light across the entryway. She let out a long breath, setting down her keys on the small table by the door.

Her fingers sifted through the stack of mail she had picked up — bills, a couple of promotional flyers, and a postcard from their son’s college. She held the postcard a moment longer, tracing her finger over the bright, cheerful image on the front before placing it aside.

"Lexa?" Clarke called out, her voice echoing slightly in the empty space. There was no response, just the soft hum of the house. She frowned slightly, moving further into the living room.

The cushions on the couch were neatly arranged, just as she had left them that morning. Clarke's gaze swept across the room, the familiar decor somehow accentuating the silence. "Lexa, are you home?" she called again, a hint of concern threading through her tone.

With a growing sense of unease, Clarke began to walk through the house. The kitchen was pristine, the countertops clear except for a vase of fresh flowers that Lexa must have put out. Clarke paused, admiring them for a brief moment, before continuing her search.

She moved down the hallway, her footsteps soft on the hardwood floor. The door to their home office was ajar, and Clarke peered inside. The computer was off, the chair pushed in. No Lexa.

Finally, she reached the door to their bedroom. It was closed, which was unusual for this time of day. "Lexa?" Clarke’s voice was softer now, tinged with a mix of worry and confusion. She reached out, her hand hesitating briefly before turning the knob and pushing the door open.

The door swung open quietly, revealing their bedroom bathed in the soft afternoon light. Clarke's eyes immediately found Lexa, sitting on the edge of their bed. Her posture was slumped, a stark contrast to her usual upright, composed demeanor. Her eyes were downcast, fixated on her hands folded in her lap.

Clarke's heart clenched at the sight. The air in the room felt heavy, laden with an unspoken sadness. She stepped inside, closing the door gently behind her. "Lexa?" she asked, her voice a mix of concern and caution.

Lexa didn't look up. The silence stretched between them, filled with a thousand unasked questions. Clarke moved closer, taking tentative steps until she was just a few feet away from the bed. "Hey," she said softly, trying to catch Lexa's eye. "What's wrong?"

There was a palpable tension in Lexa's shoulders, a visible effort in the way she kept her gaze averted. Clarke could almost feel the weight of Lexa's thoughts, the burden of whatever was pressing down on her.

Clarke sat down on the bed, close enough to be there for Lexa, but giving her space. She resisted the urge to reach out, to bridge the gap with a touch. Instead, she waited, her own heart pounding in her chest.

Finally, Lexa lifted her head, her eyes meeting Clarke's. There was a depth of emotion in her gaze, a mixture of weariness and something else Clarke couldn't quite identify. But Lexa remained silent, the words she needed to say trapped behind a barrier Clarke couldn't see.

The room was quiet, save for the distant sounds of life outside their window. Clarke watched Lexa, a growing sense of helplessness settling over her. She wanted to help, to understand, but the distance between them felt like a chasm too wide to cross with just words.

"Lexa, whatever it is, we can… we can talk about it," Clarke said, her voice a gentle plea. But Lexa just continued to sit there, her eyes now fixed somewhere beyond Clarke, lost in thoughts she wasn't ready to share.

After a few moments, heavy with silence, Lexa's voice finally broke through, quiet yet laden with a weight that immediately captured Clarke's full attention.

"I don't know," Lexa began, her voice barely above a whisper, "I don't know if I'm still in love with you." Her words hung in the air, stark and raw. She paused, taking a shaky breath. "I love you, Clarke, I do. But… I'm just not sure it's the same as it used to be."

Clarke felt as if the ground had shifted beneath her. She struggled to process Lexa's words, each one echoing painfully in her mind. Her heart raced, a mix of fear, confusion, and a deep, aching sadness.

"But… how?" Clarke managed to say, her voice trembling. "What changed, Lexa?"

Lexa looked up, her eyes meeting Clarke's. There was a vulnerability there that Clarke had rarely seen. "I don't know when it happened, or how," Lexa said, her voice steadier but still tinged with uncertainty. "It's not something I decided. It's like… slowly realizing that the way I feel about you has shifted. It's more like a deep care, a respect, but the… the passion, the in-love part, it's not like before."

Clarke felt a lump forming in her throat, her mind racing with memories, questions, doubts. She wanted to reach out, to find a way to fix this, to turn back time to when things were simpler, happier.

"But we've been through so much together, Lexa. We've built a life, a family," Clarke said, her voice laced with desperation.

"I know, and that's what makes this so hard," Lexa replied, her expression pained. "I've been trying to understand it myself, to figure out if it's just a phase, or if… if this is really how I feel."

The room was filled with a heavy stillness, the kind that comes after a storm, when the world is still reeling from the impact. Clarke felt numb, unable to fully grasp the reality that the person she loved, the person she had spent two decades with, was questioning their love.

"Is there… is there someone else?" Clarke asked, the question slipping out before she could stop it.

"No, no, it's not about someone else. It's about us, about me," Lexa assured quickly, her eyes earnest. "I'm just trying to be honest with you, and with myself. I don't want to keep pretending that everything is okay when it's not."

Clarke nodded, a silent tear rolling down her cheek. She knew this was just the beginning of a long, difficult conversation, maybe even a series of conversations. But in that moment, all she could feel was the heartbreaking realization that the love of her life was slipping away, and she didn't know how to hold on.

Clarke sat there, motionless, the words echoing in her mind like a relentless tide. She stared at Lexa, searching her face for something, anything, that might suggest this was just a momentary doubt, a fleeting fear. But Lexa's expression, open and pained, told a different story.

"This can't be happening," Clarke murmured, her voice a mix of disbelief and despair. Deep down, she had sensed the growing chasm between them, the subtle changes in Lexa's demeanor, the quiet evenings that had become too common. Yet, acknowledging these silent warnings felt like giving in to a reality she wasn't ready to accept.

"Clarke," Lexa reached out tentatively, her hand hovering in the space between them, unsure. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could make this easier."

But Clarke couldn't focus on Lexa's words of consolation. Her mind was reeling, grappling with the realization that the foundation of their life together was not as solid as she had believed. "How long have you felt this way?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"I don't know," Lexa admitted, her voice heavy with regret. "It's been growing for a while. I tried to push it away, thinking it was just a phase. I didn't want to hurt you, or our family."

Clarke felt a deep, hollow ache in her chest, as if the ground beneath her had given way. She had imagined many challenges they might face, but the thought of losing Lexa's love had never crossed her mind. "So, what does this mean for us?" she asked, the fear of the answer making her voice quiver.

Lexa sighed, a sound filled with sorrow. "I don't know, Clarke. I'm so confused. I don't want to lose you or the life we've built, but I can't keep pretending everything is the same."

Tears welled up in Clarke's eyes, blurring her vision. She had always prided herself on being strong, on being able to face any challenge head-on. But this, the potential unraveling of their two-decade-long love, felt like an insurmountable obstacle.

"I can't believe this is happening," Clarke whispered, her voice barely audible. The life they had carefully crafted together, the dreams they had shared, now felt like distant memories, slipping through her fingers like grains of sand.

As Lexa reached out, finally bridging the gap to gently touch Clarke's hand, Clarke pulled away, not out of anger, but from a need to protect herself from the pain that the touch now represented. She needed time to process, to understand how the love that had been her anchor was now the source of her deepest heartache.

In the silence that followed, filled with unspoken fears and uncertainties, the realization settled in: their journey ahead would be fraught with challenges, and the future they had envisioned together was no longer a certainty.

Clarke felt a suffocating tightness in the room, the walls seeming to close in around her with each passing second. The air was thick with the weight of Lexa's confession, and Clarke found herself struggling to breathe, to think clearly. She needed space, air, anything but the oppressive atmosphere of the room that had once been a sanctuary for them both.

"I need to think," Clarke said abruptly, her voice strained. She stood up, her movements rigid and mechanical. "I need to process this… I can't stay here right now."

Lexa's expression shifted to one of worry, and she stood up as well, reaching out towards Clarke. "Please, let's talk about this. We can figure it out together," she implored, her voice laced with desperation.

But Clarke couldn't. The words, the room, even Lexa's presence, it was all too much. She felt like she was drowning in a sea of confusion and heartache, and she needed to escape, to find a space where she could breathe and gather her thoughts.

"I can't, Lexa. I just… I need some time alone," Clarke said, her voice firm despite the turmoil inside her.

She turned away, walking briskly out of the bedroom and down the hallway. She could hear Lexa following her, continuing to plead for her to stay, to talk it through. But Clarke's mind was made up. She needed distance, a break from the intensity of the moment.

Grabbing her keys from the entryway table, Clarke didn't pause, didn't allow herself a moment of hesitation. She couldn't look back, couldn't face the pain and uncertainty that she saw in Lexa's eyes. It was all too overwhelming.

As she opened the front door, the cool outside air felt like a shock against her skin, a stark contrast to the stifling atmosphere she was leaving behind. She stepped out, closing the door with a quiet click that felt like a thunderous finality in her ears.

Clarke walked briskly to her car, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. She knew she was running away, but at that moment, it was all she could do. The drive, the solitude, it was necessary. She needed to clear her head, to make sense of the world that had just been turned upside down.

As she started the car and drove away from the house, from Lexa, she couldn't help but wonder what this meant for their future. But right now, all she needed was the open road and the space to breathe.

It was 10pm when Clarke finally pulled back into the driveway. Her eyes were drawn to the warm glow emanating from the living room window and the lights coming from upstairs. The house, which had always been a symbol of warmth and security, now seemed like an enigma, its familiar contours shrouded in the uncertainty of the night.

Sitting in the car for a moment, Clarke took a deep breath, her hands gripping the steering wheel. She knew she had to walk back in, to face whatever awaited her, but the thought alone sent a wave of apprehension through her.

Would Lexa be up, waiting for her, ready to continue their conversation? Or would she have retreated to bed, the day's emotional toll proving too much? Clarke's mind raced with possibilities, each one layered with a complexity she wasn't sure she was ready to confront.

The thought of slipping quietly into the spare room crossed her mind. It would be easier, a way to avoid immediate confrontation, to give them both more time. But was that just delaying the inevitable? Would it send a message she wasn't sure she wanted to convey?

Finally, Clarke mustered the courage to step out of the car. The cool night air was a sharp contrast to the stale atmosphere of the vehicle, and it seemed to clear her head slightly. She walked up to the front door, her steps slow, almost hesitant.

As she inserted the key into the lock and turned it, the familiar click sounded louder than usual in the quiet of the night. She stepped inside, her eyes immediately drawn to the soft light spilling from the living room. The rest of the house was quiet, almost eerily so.

Clarke stood there for a moment, unsure of her next move. The tension of the unknown was almost palpable. Should she seek out Lexa, attempt to address the chasm that had opened between them? Or should she retreat, give them both the night to process their thoughts and emotions?

Her heart was heavy, her mind a tangle of thoughts and feelings. This was their home, a place filled with years of memories and love, yet now it felt like uncharted territory, each step filled with uncertainty.

Taking a deep breath, Clarke decided to walk towards the living room, her resolve growing with each step. She needed to face this, whatever 'this' was. The light from the room beckoned her, a silent promise that, regardless of what happened next, the conversation was not over yet.

Clarke stepped into the living room, her eyes immediately drawn to Lexa, who sat in a chair with a book lying open, unread, on her lap. In the soft glow of the lamp, Clarke could see that Lexa had fallen asleep, her chest rising and falling with a rhythm that spoke of exhaustion.

For a moment, Clarke paused, taking in the sight. The tension, the fear, the uncertainty that had knotted her stomach on the drive home eased slightly at the peaceful image. She contemplated backing out of the room, not wanting to disturb Lexa, but as she turned, the floorboard under her foot creaked softly.

Lexa's eyes fluttered open, blinking away the remnants of sleep. She looked up at Clarke, a mixture of relief and weariness in her eyes. "I tried to call you," she said softly, her voice hoarse from sleep.

"I… I just couldn't talk," Clarke replied, her voice barely above a whisper. She felt a pang of guilt for not answering, for leaving Lexa to worry.

"Are you alright?" Lexa asked, concern lacing her words.

Clarke nodded, "Yes, I'm okay. Just needed some time to think." Her gaze fell to the book on Lexa's lap, a silent witness to the hours spent waiting.

There was a moment of silence between them, a delicate pause in their conversation. Then, Clarke asked the question that had been circling her mind throughout the car ride. "Is it too late for counseling?" Her voice was tentative, revealing the vulnerability of her hope.

Lexa's eyes met Clarke's, a depth of emotion swirling in them. "No, it's not too late," she said, her voice firm. "I want to try. I want to make this work, Clarke."

The words hung in the air, a fragile promise in the midst of their turmoil. Clarke felt a flicker of hope, a gentle warmth in the cold uncertainty that had gripped her heart. It wasn't a solution, not yet, but it was a step, a willingness to fight for what they had built together.

"Okay," Clarke said, a small smile touching her lips. It was a word loaded with potential, with the promise of effort and understanding. It was a beginning, or perhaps a continuation of their journey together, fraught with challenges but also with the possibility of reconnection.

For now, that was enough. They had a path forward, a chance to mend the fractures in their relationship. And as they looked at each other in the dim light of their living room, there was a sense of resolve, a shared understanding that they were willing to try.

As they stood in the quiet of the living room, a tangible connection seemed to bridge the distance that had grown between them. Lexa took a tentative step toward Clarke, her movements careful, almost reverent. Gently, she reached out and took Clarke's hand in hers. The touch, simple yet profound, sent a wave of mixed emotions through Clarke.

Without a word, Lexa led her up the stairs, their steps synchronized in a familiar rhythm. Clarke followed, too tired and emotionally drained to resist, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts and feelings. She allowed Lexa to guide her, finding a strange comfort in the familiarity of the gesture.

Once upstairs, they entered their bedroom, a space that had witnessed the spectrum of their life together. Lexa turned to Clarke, her hands reaching out to help her out of her clothes. Every touch was gentle, a silent communication of care and understanding. Clarke stood passively, her body heavy with fatigue, both physical and emotional.

Soon, Clarke was dressed in a soft t-shirt and sleep shorts, the comfortable attire feeling like a small solace in the turmoil of the night. Lexa quickly changed as well, her movements efficient yet mindful.

Then, Lexa led Clarke to the bed, pulling back the covers with a careful hand. She slid into bed, her movements inviting Clarke to join her. There was an unspoken plea in her gesture, a request for closeness in the midst of their uncertainty.

Clarke, her heart a tangled knot of emotions, slid into bed beside Lexa. The bed, once a haven of intimacy and connection, now felt like a refuge from the storm of their emotions. Lexa shifted, opening her arms to Clarke, an offer of comfort and a silent promise of presence.

With a small, almost imperceptible nod, Clarke moved closer, laying her head on Lexa's chest. Lexa's arms wrapped around her, a gentle, protective embrace that held both tenderness and a trace of sadness. Clarke could feel the steady beat of Lexa's heart, a rhythm that had been a constant in her life for so many years.

In that embrace, the turmoil of the night seemed to quieten, if only for a moment. The warmth of Lexa's body, the soft rise and fall of her breathing, provided a grounding presence for Clarke. It wasn't a resolution, nor a rekindling of what had been lost, but rather a shared acknowledgment of their situation, an unspoken agreement to face it together.

As they lay there, entwined in the dim light of their bedroom, the challenges that lay ahead loomed large. Yet, for now, they found solace in each other's presence, a silent strength in the midst of their vulnerability.

[wandwisdom-blog]

Why Langley, Berkshire is a Property Hotspot and How to Find Your Dream Home

Langley, Berkshire, is a name that is growing in importance for property hunters. This charming village provides the perfect mix of village charm, great connections and a seemingly endless list of facilities making it a sought after location. What is fuelling this demand, and what are some tips to help you manage the market on your path to becoming a homeowner in Langley? In this blog, I attempt to address this issue and provide you enough information to help you make an informed choice.

The Allure of Langley: Reasons for Its Popularity

There are a few reasons which make the Langley quite popular. Right off the bat, its location is a killer. Nestled amongst the rolling Berkshire countryside, Langley enjoys a true village atmosphere with a real sense of community. And yet you are only a few miles from the bustle of London. Langley is the perfect place for professionals who wish to relax after a hard day in the capital, and the M4 provides a fast and easy route to and from London as well. Heathrow Airport is also just a short drive away, ideal for frequent flyers. Langley is appealing to families. Some of the best schools in the area also belong to the catchment area such as Langley Academy and The Marist School. This makes Langley an excellent choice for families looking for a nurturing atmosphere surrounding their children's education. As well as practical benefits, Langley also offers a variety of local green spaces and amenities. The proximity of Langley Park, and in which the residents can wander, is among the most useful ways for a neighborhood pleasure best after a tough workweek. For sports fans there are a multitude of facilities available including one with a pool (pictured above). The charms of Langley stretch well beyond its borders. Between the soaring majesty of Windsor Castle and the fast-paced adventure (pun intended) of Legoland Windsor, there are some exciting day trips on offer for both families and individuals.

A bouquet of properties for various requirements

The property market in Langley has something to cater for all tastes and budgets. From the charming character of a period property to a brand new home in which to raise a family, or a convenient flat to make the most of the local amenities, Langley has it all. Boasting terraced houses and detached properties, including sleek apartments for those wanting a convenient, low-maintenance lifestyle. Unlocking the Secrets: Langley Estate Agents Help You Purchase Your Dream Home

So now, you realize why Langley is cool, where to know the properties that suit you well. Seeing as a generic search of 'Langley Estate Agent' online may return generic results - do not panic! By searching for estate agents Langley, Berkshire, you will uncover a whole network of local estate agents who know Langley inside out. There is no denying the benefit of using Langley estate agents. Not only do they understand the area well but they can also inform buyers of the hidden gems - perhaps the charming backstreets that lead buyers to cottages bursting with character - or they will know of upcoming developments where an investment may pay off. They will walk you through the entire process from local market trends to getting you the best deal on your forever home.

Using Online Resources for an Efficient Search

After all, local knowledge is all-important but these days even the most dedicated high street hunter begins their search online, so property portals cannot be dismissed. These include Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket, which display properties for sale in Langley from a range of local estate agents. Having alerts set up of properties that align with your must-haves can help ensure you are not missing out on anything that screams "our home"!

[j-graysonlibrary]

The Xiang Chronicles: Book Two Chapter 2

Title: The Xiang Chronicles: Book Two

Author: Jay Grayson

Word Count: 98k

Genres: Fantasy, adventure, drama, LGBT+

Available on: my website

Synopsis: With another Xiang in the mix, for the first time in history, Pangu decides to reevaluate his methods and his place in the world. Along with taking his little sister Heidi as his last disciple, he also chooses to take the more political path in his efforts to end the discord throughout the land—particularly within Terra. (And gaining favor from the handsome Lord of Ultimos does not hurt.)

Heidi butts heads with everyone in the group, save Raine, and tensions are higher than ever. There are failed love confessions, in-group fighting, and demons from Kira’s past but that all comes to a head when they meet a servant of Shakti who is more than what she seems.

Could it be that the Mistresses of Shadow are more nuanced than previously believed? Or that the strict dichotomy between light and dark are, perhaps, a touch exaggerated? That and more begin to plague Pangu’s mind and his faith wavers…

Full chapter 2 under the cut

Chapter II:

The façade of the inn was just as grand as the rest of Ultimos but, at eye level, the building was nigh covered in posters and flyers for promotional events throughout the city. One was much larger than the others and had eye-catching colors. Pangu scanned over it to read “Have more stuff than you need? Sell it here!”  He tilted his head to the side in slight amusement. Of course, if there was a city in the world where the citizens might suffer from excess, it would be Ultimos.

The charming (although a tad disarming) poster only served as a temporary distraction for Pangu. He was still outside the inn and he still needed to walk through the doors and find his old mentors. He did not want to, not in the least, but he knew he needed to.

Tracking them down had felt task enough so he should see it through. With how many inns and hotels there were in the city, he had to use his energy to feel for them. Luckily, they had not been masking that aspect so their location lit up like a beacon. A small one—far across the city—but a beacon none the less.

Pangu blew out his exhale and then stepped inside.

People walked about, busy with their own lives, and he had to maneuver around quite a few bodies to find his old teachers. They were not holed up in a room as he expected but in a lounge area, surrounded by books and scrolls. And, although they were technically out in the open, no one else in the inn bothered them. Not even when Merra started to lift one of the books into the air without touching it.

Pangu had to only walk a few steps into their space before all eyes were on him. Merra dropped her book and sat up straighter to address him. “Xiang, hello.”

“Pangu,” Zhu said tersely and stood. “We were hoping to speak with you.”

At that, Hwang leaned over to Merra and told her, lowly, but still loud enough for Pangu to hear, “Go and practice in your room.”

The new Xiang nodded, collected an armful of books, and then left. Once she passed by the last table of the lounge area and into the crowd at large, a series of “ooh”s and “aah”s erupted and the people flocked to her as if they were seeing her for the first time.

“You seem confused,” Jun mentioned with a chuckle. He was talking, naturally, about the scrunched face Pangu was pulling as he watched the scene.

“We are hidden from sight,” Gong carried on explaining, “To the people, this area appears as a decorative fixture in the inn. That way only those we wished to see—you—could approach us.”

Pangu turned back to them and noticed a very similar expression across all their faces. He felt ten years old again so he slowly took a seat and set his hands on his lap. Just like when he was a child, he knew he had to say something but he did not know where to start.

Luckily, Zhu started for him. Unluckily, he was not in the best of moods. Although, to be fair, he hardly ever was. “You know what we will say…do you not?”

“That I have failed in my duties?” Pangu hazarded a guess.

There was no immediate answer though Gong did reflexively shake his head. At least one of them was willing to stick by him, Pangu thought.

He swallowed hard and tried again. “The spirits talked to me already…”

“And you ignored their council,” Zhu snapped back. He did not raise his voice or even have much anger present in his words but Pangu still fought the urge to shrink away.

“Why is it that you refuse to listen to them?” Hwang asked.

Pangu shifted his eyes between the four of them, unable to maintain contact. “I…I know my disciples. I chose them for a reason, and I do not intend to give up on them just because of their pasts. I would choose no others and I trust in my own instinct. I know it is not the best idea from your perspective but I believe in them.”

“One is a Chaaya, Pangu,” Zhu said and narrowed his eyes.

“He was one,” he corrected. “You could think of it this way: I am keeping an enemy closer and unable to do ‘evil’. You could even argue that I have reformed him.” Though Pangu, personally, did not think of it in such terms, he knew that particular framing could alter some of his mentor’s view points. Or so he was hoping.

The men exchanged glances. Then Jun asked, “You will not change your mind?”

Pangu shook his head and briefly let his eyes stay closed. “I am sorry, but no.”

Zhu let out a sigh that was loud and filled with frustration but, despite that, he moved on. “So, when do you intend to find a fourth disciple?”

It was a reasonable question and one Pangu had been thinking about quite a lot, especially during his recovery when he had little else to do besides think. Yet, he decided to turn the questioning to them. “Will Merra be getting disciples as well?”

“Yes, of course,” Hwang answered quickly.

“We will be helping her pick them out,” Jun added.

Pangu had a feeling that was due to his “failure” in the area. He straightened his back and returned to their question. “I was thinking of asking Heidi.”

There were several reasons as to why and the primary reason—which he would never tell her directly—was that choosing her would keep him from having to travel all the way back to Enlil any time soon. He would need to return eventually, of course, but he had a lot on his plate right now that would make the trip highly inconvenient. Then, there was the fact that he knew (or he hoped anyway) that his mentors would approve of her. They knew her resonance and her character so there would be no friction between him and the spirits about the choice.

Finally, there was the more personal reason. While Pangu found himself on edge around his sister and perpetually exhausted by her one-sided sibling rivalry, he did wish to do this for her. She had spent her entire life in his shadow, feeling left behind. Unlocking her ability to interact with the air around her and giving her a power to call her own would be, in a way, a type of amends.

The four old men looked at one another, a hesitant acceptance making its way onto their faces. Each started to nod at a different pace before Gong said, “I think that’s an excellent choice.”

Pangu smiled in relief. “Good. Now, once I have her as my last disciple, I was wondering what all you want of me. With another Xiang in the picture I…I was wondering if my role or my duties would change.”

There had definitely been some conversation about the matter with how their eyes met. In fact, they were probably carrying on a telepathic conversation right at the moment that Pangu could not hear.

He leaned in when Hwang opened his mouth, curious and nervous to hear the verdict. “Well, Pangu, the thing is…”

***

“It is not creepy,” Raine argued as he adjusted his hold on Kira’s hand. With the gloves off he could see the dark spots and the black on his fingertips and under his nails. It was not as bad as it had been right after the miasma burst through its hold but there were some stubborn splotches that refused to disappear.

“Is too,” Kira argued right back.

Raine half-rolled his eyes as he flipped the man’s hands over and pressed a thumb into each of his palms. The energy flow in him was stable and quite strong as well. He had, pretty much, completely recovered physically and spiritually. Although his attitude about spiritual topics was still an issue.

Apparently, the spirits being able to see and hear everything at all times was not a comforting thought to Kira. He saw only the negative side of it and would not be swayed.

Raine did not agree, of course, but he also could not fight the smile that pulled at the corner of his lips. “Honestly, I am just glad you did not state your opinion in front of the Heavenly Princes.”

“Anything I said or did would reflect back onto Pangu,” Kira explained with a sigh. While he had wanted to speak his mind, he knew it was a lot more precarious than it seemed. He would not just be hurting himself with any possible backlash from the obtusely powerful men but he could be hurting Pangu as well.

“That is very mature of you,” Raine commented and pushed his thumbs against the meat of his palm. There was no reason to keep holding onto him but he started to give him something of a hand massage anyway.

Kira noticed and thought of drawing his hands back but decided to indulge a little. He lifted his eyes up to the dark, almost midnight blue of Raine’s irises. He spent too much time looking at him, he decided, as he realized he knew all of the details of his face and was hard pressed to find something new to discover. But, instead of saying anything on his mind, Kira retorted, “I can be mature.”

Raine snickered. “Of course. I am just glad you picked the right time to show it.”

He continued to run his thumbs along the mounds and plateaus of Kira’s palm, making him gulp out of nervousness. The touch, while nice, was starting to breach into a more intimate territory which Kira was sure was not his intent. So he gently pulled back and asked, “Why do those heavenly princes disguise themselves as old men anyway? Why not walk around town with a glowing crown and a perfect face?”

“They were not always divine,” Raine answered and started to fidget with his hands now that he had nothing to hold onto. “They were regular men who ascended to their status so they keep a more human appearance. Something, I guess, is reminiscent of their old appearance.”

“Old?”

He chuckled. “Yes, I suppose. And, while they are directly under Tiandi, they are not meant to be worshipped to the same degree. That is why they take off the ‘Tian’ prefix in their names when they are in our realm.”

“Even Pangu treats them like regular old dudes,” Kira mentioned with a smirk. Had it not been for the Xiang using the men’s names and plenty of context clues, there was a chance he would have never figured out that his mentors were also the four Heavenly Princes. Pangu never stated so up front.

Raine returned with a quiet laugh of his own. “True. But they are also like his parents, in a way.”

“Hopefully they are not scolding him…” Kira had a feeling they were.

Raine did too. But he did not wish to linger on such a possibility, much less speculate on the matter. “We should meditate…like he asked.”

“I guess so.” Kira shrugged and then asked, “Is my spiritual body or whatever alright?”

With a quick pat to the shoulder and a persisting smile, Raine replied, “You are pretty much all better. Pangu should do a once-over in case I missed anything but I bet you will be back to typical training in no time.”

While the two of them settled down on the floor to begin their meditation, Baiya was on the ground level of the palace by the front entrance, trapped in a predicament of his own making. Well, partly Pangu’s making as well.

When the Xiang had asked him to collect information from Oli, he doubted he expected the young man to be so well versed. Baiya had only asked what he thought was a simple and vague question, “So, what can you tell me about Feng?”

As it turned out, everything.

Oli was far more excited by the question than Baiya had anticipated and even ran off momentarily only to return with an arm full of books and documents to help answer his question. He went over the history of the Feng territory, the previous clan leader, the current clan leader, the economic situation, information about the three major cities, their imports and exports, their crime rates, and even their delicacies.

It was an overload and Baiya was not sure when it had happened but he had definitely stopped listening. He was just nodding periodically and humming, “Uh huh” which kept the kid going a mile a minute.

Sweat even started to dampen Baiya’s hairline as he began to worry he would be stuck there forever. He longed for someone to return to the palace. He would even take a break from Viren. Or Heidi.

“Oh, and circling back to Lord Fei Kuta Sim, there are rumors about his wife being the one actually in charge. And of course these are just rumors so it would be wise to not mention them. I just thought I should let you know in case you notice it firsthand. That way you do not say something by accident and offend him, right? So, that is something to keep in mind too,” Oli rambled with a huge grin still intact.

The door to the palace opening was the reprieve Baiya was looking for and, even better than Viren walking through the entrance was Pangu. He could not help but jump up and rush over.

“Pangu!” He grinned and was tailed by Oli who continued to clutch a scroll between his hands. “How did things go?”

“Alright.” The Xiang shrugged. “Did Heidi come back?”

Baiya shook his head. “I have been here with Oli almost the entire time you were gone. No one has come through.” No one, he stressed mentally.

Pangu pursed his lips for a second before glancing up to the stairs. “Are Raine and Kira up there?”

“Yes, or, so I assume. We can check.” Baiya looked over at Oli. “Thanks for all of the information. I’ll make sure to pass it on to Pangu.”

The young man grinned from ear to ear. “Sure thing. And if you have any more questions…”

Baiya did not let him finish and started to lead the way up though Pangu caught up and matched his stride easily. “That boy is very passionate about politics,” he grumbled once they were out of ear shot.

Pangu held back a smirk but it still pulled at one corner of his lips. “Yeah?” he asked as he noticed the exhausted expression on his disciple’s face.

“He may normally seem shy but he can talk.”

They both shared a short, private, laugh before opening the door to Kira’s room. The two other disciples sat on the floor, facing one another, in a meditative pose but they slipped out of that relaxed state as soon as the door creaked open. Kira even scrambled to his feet while Raine sat up on his knees.

“How did it go with your mentors?” Raine asked.

Kira looked even more expectant. “They did not give you too hard of a time, did they?”

Pangu shook his head and looked between them. Heidi was still absent but he realized that was a good thing for the moment. It was only fair to let everyone know before he made the next, big step in his journey. First, however, he wished to ease their concerns.

The fact they were all clearly worried at all was a bit of a blow to his heart. Pangu pushed past that nagging guilt and moved straight to the good news. “Well, I talked about what my role is going forward and we all agreed that I can continue operating as I had been. So, all of our plans remain unaltered while they train Merra. We can set off for Feng in the morning and clear the miasma while seeing about an alliance between the lord and Viren.”

“They have no criticism on anything you’re doing?” Kira pushed with an arched eyebrow. He had a difficult time believing such a thing. There had not been direct hostility toward him or anything but he certainly felt a discomfort aimed his way.

“My methods differ slightly from expectations but there were no demands for change,” Pangu worded his response carefully. Technically, it was true. Not even Zhu told him that he had to disavow Kira or Baiya…he just suggested it. There was a difference.

“That is good then…right?” Raine finally stood as well and stretched his long limbs up, nearly brushing along the ceiling. “We can return to business.”

Pangu nodded. “I also want to add my fourth disciple.” Three intense gazes met his and he almost did not continue. But he shoved down the nerves and carried on anyway, “To help ease their worries, I am going to ask Heidi to be my Enlil disciple.”

“…You want to bring your sister along…?” Baiya carefully replied, not wanting to outright show his disappointment.

Kira, on the other hand, held nothing back. “She’s not a good fit. She’s just going to berate you the whole time.”

Pangu shook his head. “She is not always like you have seen her. This will be good for her…and me as well, I hope. Besides, being my sister, she has high resonance so her training will be smooth.”

Raine glanced between Kira and Baiya who both wore quite prominent frowns. He did not want Pangu to feel even worse for his decision so he slapped on a smile and said, “I think you are right, Pangu. We will not have to travel to Enlil either so this is the best course of action.”

Pangu appreciated his support and gave him a short lived smile in return. He was not sure how much of it was Raine’s true feelings or if he was simply attempting to make him feel better but he was grateful either way. Kira and Baiya certainly were not cheering for the development and, while Pangu did understand, he could not go back on his choice.

He would never say so to either of them, especially not Kira, but Heidi was, in many ways, his compromise for keeping the two of them as his disciples.

[dramaticunicorn82]

Love & Pride

"That's what my heart yearns for now - love and pride. That's what my heart yearns for now - love and pride.

Start your journey early or maybe later get your boots on

Look for rainbows it's cloudy

Take your hairdryer blow them all away.

In you I've found a story I want to keep hearing. In you I see all colours not just black or white. In you I find a reason and hope for all dreamers

You are my fill you're my supply of love and pride. That's what my heart yearns for now - love and pride. . . ."

--- Mick Roberts/Paul King

As I mentioned in a blog I wrote from June 1st, it's Pride month! June is Pride month and that means we celebrate the lives of LGBTQIA+ history, people, and events that have happened to lead us to where we are today. It can be a pretty complicated history but there is a great website for you to visit if you want to read more on it. Just click the link below if you would like to learn more.

Let me give you a brief history of my own experiences with Pride. I didn't even really celebrate it until I moved to the city known as New York. My first Pride parade was the summer of 2005 in between my junior and senior years of college and it was my first summer in NYC. I went to brunch with friends and waved my rainbow flag like the biggest queen you ever saw. I met a few guys and made out and got the number of a guy who never called me back. Yup. Sounds about right. LOL. While watching the parade I marveled at the floats and groups of people marching along the closed off streets of New York City. My first Pride was in NYC - a place home to one of the most infamous protests in all history, the Stonewall riots. I had a huge smile on my face the entire time. It was so crowded and hot but I didn't care, I was having the time of my life. It was also during this years Pride Parade that I took a glance at the group "Cheer NY." Cheer NY is a group of adults who are either part of the LGBTQIA+ community or at least allies, who are cheerleaders for different charity events and other events like LGBTQIA+ sports leagues.

They. Were. GAYMAZING! Anyone who knew me growing up knew I always loved tumbling and gymnastics. From an early age when my sister was a cheerleader in high school and taught me how to do a cartwheel, I have always been a fan. Took tumbling when I was little bit but I always wanted to do more. This group were doing all the things cheerleaders did - not just cheers but tumbling and throwing people in the air - doing flips, etc. I loved it! During the parade I was handed a flyer that advertised they were having try-outs. It's something I always wanted to do and so I tried out and made it and spent a little over a year on this squad. It was incredible. I got to meet other people in the community and made new friends and got to have so much fun while I did it. I loved it. I miss it. I still have my cheerleading outfit even though I know I'll never fit back into it. I payed a lot for it so I'm keeping as a memento for damn sure.

I bet you would still be amazed to now that I can STILL do a cartwheel, round-off, and (sometimes) a one-handed cart-wheel. I love doing it. :)

Anyways, since then I haven't always been to a Pride celebration but I always preached Pride because it's very important to me. Once I made way back to Southeast Texas I experienced Beaumont's first Pride in June of 2011 (I think it was 11) and then I started getting involved in the planning for their next Prides. When I returned officially back to Beaumont in 2016 I was a debutante for that years Pride ball (my second coming out so to speak) and I have had an active part every single year since then. The last few years I was the DQIC. Drag queen in charge.

This year is quite different. I am no longer involved in SETX's Pride celebration. It does make me sad, but I'm also okay with it. I was feeling major fatigue from last years celebration and mix that with the frustration of the place Pride was held (Jefferson Theatre...ugh...the city of Beaumont as a city DOES NOT support anything LGBTQIA+, but that's another story). I needed a break. Then I got let go from my job, then I lost my phone, then I had a mental breakdown, couldn't afford my rent, got a great job then slapped in the face with the realization that I would not actually work for about a year or so, had to go help take care of my sister and mom, sister dies, I have another breakdown and piss off my previous employer and my friends. Now I'm here. Not going to Pride.

Ya see, after this last breakdown. Breakdown might be too dramatic a term to use but they seemed like breakdowns to me. Oh well. My point is, I'm at this moment in my life where I need a break and I need to clear my head for a little bit. I'm exercising, currently not drinking alcohol, trying to get control of my money, working more, and just trying to welcome the positive and extinguish the negative. I'm trying to find new ways of handling my life and even though it's only been a couple of weeks, I'm doing pretty well.

I lost gigs and income by giving up Pride Beaumont but ya now, I really am okay with it. I miss it in ways but I KNOW it is what I need right now for my mental health.

I'm happy to see a lot of my friends taking the reins and trying to make Pride as good as ever. The fact that we can even have Pride in Beaumont and have had Pride in Beaumont for about a decade is pretty amazing. I am very proud of the people here who have made that possible for future generations. I am very proud of the work I did to help and will always cherish those memories.

Pride is also being held at BCP this year which I encouraged. I think it's a great place to hold Beaumont Pride. However, that really makes me uncomfortable even showing up (in drag or out) so this year I am avoiding it altogether. This Saturday, while a lot of my friends will be celebrating I will be relaxing by a pool with a mocktail and listening to music and working on my tan. And honestly....I'm looking forward to it. This year in particular, I do not miss having to get together outfits, putting music together, organizing a show line-up, being responsible for other performers, etc. I need this break for my own sanity and yes, I am sad I have to do it, but again, I HAVE TO DO IT. It's required and I know I'm not gonna regret anything.

So whatever you're doing this month to celebrate Pride, whether you're going out with friends or going to a party celebration or spending a quiet time at home alone, you do you boo. Enjoy it! I'm just as proud of myself this year for Pride as I have been for all my Prides before and I am working on finding myself again. :)

Until next time kiddos, this is Disco Donny signing off! Happy Pride everyone!